Love and Chocolates
by Lifeless Romance
Summary: Ulquiorra gets sent on a mission just before Valentines Day in the human world and Grimmjow's not too happy. Valentines Day fanfic! M for language and er ... with bits of OOCness. Enjoy! REAL CHOCOLATE RECIPES ARE POSTED!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: **

**Well, I guess I'm back! ^_^ and with a few people saying I should make a Valentines Day fanfic, I mustered one up. I say muster because I think Valentine's Day is a bit cheesy in real life. Though I really think it would be fun as a fanfic :P But, I'll try to make this one last more than two chapters XD. **

**I think it turned out pretty well. :3**

**And I think this chapter was a bit on the short side.**

**This is a semi-sequel to my last fanfiction: ****Christmas In Las Noches**. But don't worry, you dont have to read it to in order to have this story make sense :P But I did make some references to it though... read at your own discretion.

**Deepest appreciation for my Beta! And thanks for reading my other one (I love all your reviews!) **

**Last but not least: I do NOT own Bleach. Tite Kubo does. TT_TT. **

**Read and enjoy!**

* * *

On a not-so-out-of-the-ordinary day, Ulquiorra stood in the throne room alone, facing Aizen as he absorbed the information Aizen provided him for his next mission.

"I want you to go to Karakura Town to survey the city – the Ryoka boy is there as well, so at the same time, please make a report on the spiritual levels of the town and collect information about the Ryoka boy and his friends."

"Is this Ryoka the same boy that infiltrated Soul Society, Aizen-sama?" Ulquiorra inquired.

"The very one," Aizen answered with a smile. "Szayel has been preparing your gigai for the mission. Your spiritual pressure will be completely suppressed by the gigai and you will be going to their school; Karakura High."

Ulquiorra mentally screamed in disgust. _Not only do I have to go to a trash heap world, I __have to go to school__?! - __Whatever that is. But if__ it's__Aizen-sama's orders…_

"Do you have any questions, Ulquiorra?"

"What is 'school'?" As soon as the question came out of his mouth, a loud laugh echoed throughout the room.

"Gin, what are you doing here? I thought you and the rest of the Espadas were having another meeting." Aizen turned his head to the source of the noise, quite annoyed at the fact that Gin was intruding.

"Well, the meetin' aint gonna start for more than half an hour. Thought I should see where Ulqui-chan is sent off ta nex'."

"That will be all. Just report to Szayel's lab to see if the gigai he prepared will be ready in a few hours. It will be a solo mission until I can find another Espada to join you. And take as much time as you need," Aizen said, turning his attention back to his Cuatra Espada.

Ulquiorra bowed respectfully as he exited the throne room, where he found a certain semi-pissed off blue-haired Espada standing outside, leaning against the wall in wait.

"What is it?" Ulquiorra asked as he continued to walk down the long hallway towards his room with Grimmjow tagging along beside him.

"So… Another mission, eh?"

Translation: _Great… That's another how many days without sex…?_

"…" Ulquiorra did not answer. Instead, he kept walking until he reached the door to his room.

He opened the door to his room and Grimmjow followed closely and gently closed the door behind him.

"Would you like to explain?" Grimmjow said as he sat casually on Ulquiorra's made up queen-sized bed as Ulquiorra went to his closet and took out some clean and neatly folded clothes to pack for his mission.

Grimmjow laid down on Ulquiorra's bed, hands behind his head and sighed.

Ulquiorra stopped packing his things when he heard Grimmjow sigh. He put the last article of clothing inside his simple suitcase, closed it securely then proceeded to walk towards Grimmjow.

"Grimmjow, you know this mission is very important to Aizen-sama and this-"

"Aren't I important to you?" Grimmjow interrupted, obviously pissed off.

Ulquiorra's usually cold and emotionless eyes softened as he slowly climbed on top of Grimmjow. Even without removing his clothing, Ulquiorra found Grimmjow's skin warm and comforting. The smaller Espada laid on top of the other until their faces are merely centimeters apart, their lips brushing.

"That's not what I meant," Ulquiorra whispered. "I love you. There is no doubt of that. But we are created to serve Aizen-sama. And this particular mission is very important. It can win us the war."

Their lips met as Ulquiorra kissed Grimmjow gently. Once they parted, Grimmjow sat up with Ulquiorra sitting on his lap, feeling a bit less miserable.

"So… What kind of mission is this?" Grimmjow asked curiously.

"It's a typical information gathering mission," Ulquiorra stated, "Which is why Aizen-sama chose me to do this mission. He needs my eye."

Grimmjow's arms wrapped around Ulquiorra's smaller form as he spoke and began to kiss and nip at his lover's pale, tender throat, earning Grimmjow a small moan of pleasure from Ulquiorra.

"Then we should spend the last hours we have until you leave together." His warm breath on Ulquiorra's throat made him shiver.

Ulquiorra wrapped his arms around Grimmjow's neck. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Their lips met for another passionate kiss as Grimmjow gently shifted positions so that he was now on top of Ulquiorra.

When their lips parted in order for them to catch their breaths, Grimmjow began to unzip Ulquiorra's uniform jacket while licking and kissing at his exposed skin. Ulquiorra breathed in sharply as Grimmjow began to lick the sensitive edges of his hollow hole.

Grimmjow's kisses went lower and lower as he completely unzipped Ulquiorra's jacket and began to remove his hakama when-

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

"Oi! Grimmjow, Ulquiorra! I know you're in there!" the voice of the Octava Espada called from the other side of the door.

_The fuck does he want now?_Grimmjow mentally swore. That pink-haired Espada sure knew how to ruin even the most perfect of moments. (A/n: Blame Szayel not me -.-)

"Hey! Didn't you hear me?! You guys can make love later!" Szayel yelled. Ulquiorra and Grimmjow both flinched at the pink-haired Espada's remark that the entire hall probably heard. Ulquiorra's face turned a bright red. "Gin just called us for another meeting! GET YOUR ASSES OUT HERE! RIGHT! NOW!"

Grimmjow sighed, but got off of Ulquiorra as Ulquiorra hastily sat up and zipped up his jacket and straightened himself up. They both got off of Ulquiorra's queen-size bed and walked towards the door.

"DIDN'T YOU TWO HEAR ME!? GET THE F-"

"Yes we heard you," Ulquiorra answered, glaring, obviously annoyed with him for ruining the moment. Upon seeing the Cuatra's pissed off glare, Szayel, by instinct, backed himself quickly to the opposite wall while covering his butt with his hands. _Shit. My ass is fried for sure this time._But as quick as the glare appeared, Ulquiorra, once again, slipped into his normal, emotionless mask and walked quietly, swiftly, and gracefully towards the throne room once again, with Grimmjow and Szayel following close behind.

As the trio arrived at the meeting room, they noticed that everyone else was waiting for them while sipping tea.

"My, my. Aren't we a bit late today, Ulqui-chan?" Gin said in a sing-song voice. "Alright my darling little duckies, please sit in yer seats and have some jasmine tea. The meetin's about ta start."

Ulquiorra, Grimmjow, and Szayel hurried to their seats with Ulquiorra sitting directly opposite of Grimmjow. In front of them sat a cup of steaming warm liquid with a gentle sweet fragrance.

"As ya all know, it's the month of February. And during this month, humans and us soul reapers celebrate a holiday known as Valentine's Day," Gin began. "This particular holiday is celebrated to show yer love and appreciation for another person and ya give them chocolates and express yer feelings…"

_What a cheesy holiday._Grimmjow thought to himself.

"… And…"

"Why the FU-" Grimmjow began to stand up and interrupt until he felt another foot on top of his, grinding it and he noticed Ulquiorra's "don't interrupt" glare. The pain in his left foot made him begin to tear.

"Hm?" Gin stopped in the middle of his lecture. "Is something the matter Grimmy?"

"N-no," Grimmjow managed to choke out. Before he flopped back down to his seat, he felt Ulquiorra's foot leave his poor left foot.

"In short," Gin said, "Valentine's Day is a holiday of love. So we're going to learn how to make chocolate!"

The Espadas mentally groaned. _Not again…_

Gin looked at the time – two hours had passed. "Well, that concludes the meetin'. Remember, Valentine's Day is on the fourteenth. And our first cooking lesson is tomorrow morning! Yer all dismissed."

The Espadas made a hasty leave but Gin stopped Ulquiorra and Szayel.

"Aizen-taichou wants ter speak to the two of ya. Better run along now darlings!"

_Damn it._

* * *

**A/N: You thought Ulqui and Grimmy were gonna do something naughty didnt you? Blame Szayel D:**

**Other than that, That's the first chapter! And you can guess who said "damn it". :P**

**Well, there you go. My first chapter of my new fanfiction. Hope you guys enjoyed it so far. (I hope to work on the rest soon! High School AP exams coming up x.x) And like always, please: **

**Read and Review (by pressing this green button!)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note:**

**Hey yall! Um... sorry for running a bit late (I actually scheduled this to be published on Valentines Day but Chinese New Year stuff :P) But it's up now ^^" (Dont hurt me D:).**

**As always, THANK YOU my awesome beta reader! because her editing skillz makes me less paranoid and miserable =). Anyways, AP tests and SATs... I got come crazy classes for those to prepare so updates will happen but randomly. (I dont like planning ahead as you probably can see xD)**

**On another note, I'm planning to write a OC fanfic due to be published after AP tests are over and I guess after this story's over, I'll put up a little sneak peak (when this story's over...WHEN? HA! I dont even know. I'm just writing as I go until I finish telling meh story xP)**

**Also, I decided to audition for the spring musical (pit orchestra) at my school and I will be playing the Oboe and Flute! WOOT! *gets shot for being a band geek***

**And... I dont own Bleach... chlorine bleach yes but not Bleach. =(**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Ulquiorra and Szayel walked silently towards the throne room where Aizen sat waiting. Two guards stood outside the double doors guarding the entrance and when they saw the two Espadas nearing, they bowed respectfully and opened the doors. The light from the hall illuminated the dimly lit throne room.

The two Espadas walked in without acknowledging either of the guards as the doors closed gently behind them.

"What do you need of us, Aizen-sama?" Ulquiorra asked as he bowed slightly.

"I am merely checking on your progress," the former shinigami said, in an almost casual tone.

"Aizen-sama, the gigai has been completed."

"All the modifications have been made?"

"Yes, sir," the Octava Espada replied.

"Very good, Szayel. You are dismissed."

Szayel bowed and left the room.

"Ulquiorra."

"Yes, Aizen-sama?"

"There are a few things I should probably prepare you for on your mission. This is the first time you will actually be interacting with humans, after all."

_Nothing but trash._

"Yes, Aizen-sama."

"Eh? Ulqui-chan, you still haven't left yet?" A third voice interrupted their conversation.

"Gin… What are you doing here?"

"Eh? I just thought I'd grab some things and head to the human world to buy a few ingredients."

"Ulquiorra, upon going to the human world, your gigai will suppress your spiritual pressure so the Ryoka boy will not be able to detect you. And I have already prepared living arrangements and prepared a substantial amount of money you might need. Gin, since you're here, you should escort Ulquiorra to Karakura High."

"Eh, me?" Gin pointed a slender finger at himself. "I suppose so."

"Good. Ulquiorra, you are permitted to use any method you wish to draw out the Ryoka boy and his friends. You are dismissed."

Ulquiorra bowed and left the room and headed towards his room to get his simple suitcase packed and ready to go.

Back in Ulquiorra's room, Grimmjow sat waiting on Ulquiorra's bed when Ulquiorra opened the door to his room.

"Oi," Grimmjow called out "What took you so long?"

Ulquiorra could not suppress the small smile that made its way to his lips as he closed the door behind him and walked towards his lover and into his embrace. Grimmjow wrapped his muscular, tan arms around Ulquiorra's waist and kissed him gently.

"We only have about ten minutes before the portal's open," Ulquiorra stated flatly, unable to hide his disappointment. "I'm supposed to go to Szayel's lab when I get my –"

Ulquiorra was cut off by another kiss, this time longer and more passionate. When he felt Grimmjow's tongue licking at his lips begging for entrance he parted his lips willingly, granting Grimmjow entrance.

Ulquiorra felt his knees grow weak as Grimmjow's skillful tongue explored every millimeter of his wet cavern, but with Grimmjow's arms supporting him, Ulquiorra was now lying on his bed with Grimmjow between his legs, their kiss never broken.

When they finally parted for air, Ulquiorra felt Grimmjow's hands explore his clothed body, feeling every curve while his own hands began to play with his lover's teal-colored hair.

Grimmjow moved a bit lower so that his head rested in Ulquiorra's arms, his lips brushing against Ulquiorra's neck. "You better get your pale ass back here soon," he whispered into Ulquiorra's left ear, his warm breath making Ulquiorra moan softly.

"And you," Ulquiorra said softly, "try not to do anything reckless while I am away."

Their lips met for another kiss when it was interrupted by yet another knock on the door.

"Ulqui-chan~! Ta portal's been opened, we better get going ne? I'll wait for you in Szayel's lab."

Grimmjow hastily got off of Ulquiorra and Ulquiorra stood up and hastily gathered his needed belongings. Ulquiorra opened his door and, with Grimmjow beside him, walked towards the direction of Szayel's lab.

The two Espadas stopped at the hallway leading to Szayel's lab. Ulquiorra gave Grimmjow a quick kiss before they turned and walked in different directions. One walked ahead while the other walked towards his own room.

Ulquiorra opened the door to be greeted by an intense light and two people: Gin and Szayel.

"Ah there you are," Szayel said while adjusting his glasses, "You two better get going." He handed Ulquiorra a slip of paper. "This has the information of your temporary apartment address as well as instructions on how to withdraw necessary amounts of money when you need to as well as some other pointers."

Ulquiorra scanned the paper before slipping it into his pocket.

"And for your gigai, come, it's in the next room." Szayel motioned Ulquiorra to follow. Gin looked around the lab at the various specimens.

In the next room, there was a lone metal table where something that looked like Ulquiorra laid as if asleep. The hollow hole and remains of his mask were gone. So were his tear-like markings. The gigai's skin was still unusually fair but not deathly pale and his lips, rather than black and white, they were actually of normal color. The only things that did not change were his build, (upon closer inspection) his eyes, and his hair. It was already dressed in the Karakura High school uniform.

"Well, you better get in there," Szayel said. "And for the record, Aizen-sama requested the change," he added, his my-ass-is-gonna-get-fried sense tingling.

CRASH!

"Oops! My bad," Gin called from the other room.

"SHIT! Ulquiorra, get in that gigai and go back to the main room. I have to make sure Gin doesn't break something dangerous." Szayel ran out the door while screaming, "Put that down!" over and over as Gin inspected all his specimens.

Ulquiorra sighed to himself while looking at his gigai as Szayel's panicked screams filled the lab while crashes and sounds of broken glass continued.

Ulquiorra, in his gigai, walked back into the main room of the lab to see that the entire room was reduced to a wasteland of shattered glass. Shards of glass littered the floor while Szayel and Gin were covered in cuts.

"…" Ulquiorra's stoic expression did not change but his appearance in the main room made Gin and Szayel turn their attention to him.

"… What?" Ulquiorra asked, confused as to why they were suddenly staring at him.

"Nothing," Szayel said as he yanked another specimen jar from Gin's grasp. He put the jar on the table while reaching into his pocket to pull out something that resembled a cell phone. "Aizen-sama wants you to check in with him once in awhile to report your progress."

_Great… Why do humans have so many unnecessary items to carry around?_

"So," Gin chimed in, "Ready to get going Ulqui-chan?"

Ulquiorra nodded and followed behind Gin, stepping through the portal and into the human world.

* * *

**A/N: So... this is the last chapter before Ulqui-chan and Grimmy gets separated for God-knows-how-long. And so starting from next chapter, it's going to be labeled differently because...I can! HA! XD**

**I made Gin look like an idiot(?) but I thought it was funny and it made my day (*runs from a Gin fangirl mob) And If you cant think of what Gin is going to buy in the human world, it's ingredients to make homemade chocolate. I'll try to find a recipe (real one) and tell you guys if there will be a real recipe in there in the next chapter. Traditionally in Japan and I like to do that to, you make homemade chocolate but people are getting busier and lazier so they just go to a candy store and buy it. **

**So look forward to watching the Espadas struggle to make chocolate! (probably next or nextnext chapter)**

**As always, please read and review!**


	3. Human World Day 1

**Author's Note!**

**So I'm back! Anyways... here's my random update number three! Like always, Thanks to my beta You RAWK my socks off! (I keep her a secret just because...=3) and Thanks to all of you that put up with my writing up 'till now. ^^"**

**And from now on, It's the way I title the chapters are gonna be different (instead of boring "chapter 1", etc) It's going to be either Humanworld Day 1/2/3 etc or HuecoMundo Day 1/2/3... I guess it'll be easier to understand as I put more up. Since Grimmy and Ulqui are apart in two different worlds, they are probably doing different things. And I guess I'm gonna focus on one or the other for every chapter. (I'm not that good at explaining sorry!)**

**An overview of this chapter... Ulqui is in the human world (DUN DUN DUN!!!! O.o *cue screaming lady while plugging up my ears*)**

**I don't own Bleach =(**

**Enjoy! and Please Read and Review!**

* * *

As Ulquiorra and Gin exited the Garganta and took their first steps in Karakura Town, the moon shone brightly with the stars twinkling in the sky.

Ulquiorra took the note with the address of his temporary home out of his pocket and attempted to figure out where the hell it actually was, but Gin snatched the note out of Ulquiorra's hand.

"Hmmm… It should be here somewhere…" Gin said slowly as he scratched his head.

Just then, the cell phone in Ulquiorra's pocket rang, startling both of them as the sound pierced the silence of the night. Ulquiorra hastily answered it.

"Hello?"

"Ulquiorra, is everything going well?"

"S-Szayel?" Ulquiorra asked almost in disbelief.

"Yes, it's me."

"…"

"Well, Aizen-sama wanted me to guide you two to your temporary place of residence. Just walk where I tell you to. I'm tracking you with your cell phone."

"You put a tracking device on this thing?" Ulquiorra asked, although it sounded more like a statement.

"… Aizen-sama suggested it… Something about making sure you don't get lost."

Ulquiorra's felt his face grow warm, but he bit his lower lip and held it back. "Alright, then lead the way."

Ulquiorra, with his cell phone in hand listening to Szayel's directions of twists and turns, managed to memorize his surroundings and the streets they passed by. Gin looked around, somewhat confused, as he followed Ulquiorra in the dark of night with only the moon, stars, and occasional streetlamps to light the way.

"Okay, you're there," Szayel finally said as they stopped in front of a closed iron gate with a security pad to the side glowing a dim blue. "Now just walk up to it and press the code 97305 and the gates will open."

Ulquiorra did as he was told and once he entered the code, the iron gates slowly swung open.

"The house should be straight ahead."

As Ulquiorra and Gin slowly walked forward, the gates behind them slowly closed and the two walked further ahead, a shadow of a house came into view. Standing on the front porch, in pitch black darkness with only the dim glow of Ulquiorra's cell-phone as light, Ulquiorra listened to Szayel's instructions; "Okay, try the door, Ulquiorra. It should be locked."

Ulquiorra tried turning the knob and just as the Octava said, it was locked.

"Okay, now put this phone on speaker and listen carefully." Szayel paused to let Ulquiorra put him on speaker. "Flip the phone over and there should be a compartment on the back. Open it and there should be a key."

Ulquiorra did as he was told. Inside the compartment was a metal key smaller than his thumb. He gingerly picked it up, fascinated by the jagged edges of the key.

"Do you have the key?"

"Yes."

"Good, now in the middle of the door knob, there's a small key hole that the key fits into. Insert the key in and turn it clockwise to unlock it. And counter-clockwise to lock."

Ulquiorra proceeded to do just that. And when he turned the key, he heard a click, signaling the fact that the door was now unlocked. He opened the door and walked in.

"There should be a light switch close by."

Ulquiorra felt the wall closest to him and felt a switch, which he immediately flicked on. The sudden brightness made Gin let out a small yelp and covered his eyes for a moment.

"Well, that's all for that," Szayel said, still on speaker-phone. "Aizen-sama wants you to report back to him tomorrow night. Explore this place a little. I'll call you tomorrow morning and guide you to your school."

Ulquiorra mentally groaned.

"Gin will be staying with you tonight, by the way. He needs to get some ingredients for something, I think, and the stores won't open until tomorrow morning."

"I see…" Ulquiorra said slowly, obviously displeased with the information, but his voice not giving it away.

"Well, have fun checking this place out. Until later." Szayel ended the call as Ulquiorra closed his phone.

Ulquiorra took a good long look at this place. _Hm… I suppose it isn't as bad as I thought._ He inspected the living room and found that it had lush white carpeting and a fireplace against the far end of the room with a comfy black leather sofa placed in front of it. The mantle was bare save for a flat screen television that hung above.

"Ulqui-chan. Take off yer shoes," Gin said behind him. Ulquiorra flinched, realizing that Gin was still there. "It's rude, ya know?"

Ulquiorra obediently took them off and placed them neatly by the door. Gin did likewise and jumped immediately on the sofa and lay down.

Deciding to explore his temporary home, Ulquiorra found a stylish modern kitchen with white tiled counters, a stove-oven, wooden cupboards, and a silver-colored refrigerator. Ulquiorra walked up to the refrigerator, expecting it to be empty, but was surprised to see it filled with food. Ulquiorra was about to close the refrigerator door, but stopped when something white caught his eye. There was a note taped to the inside of the door.

_Here's some food for you in case you don't know how to cook. It should last you about 4 days so it wouldn't be a bad idea to buy some cookbooks while you're here. ~Szayel._

"Hm." Ulquiorra closed the door to the refrigerator and walked down the corridor leading to the bedrooms. Peeking inside, he found that all the rooms in this house were simple, but comfortable to a certain degree. Of course , they were not as comfortable as the bed Ulquiorra had in his room or Grimmjow's bed…(A/N: heeheehee)

A pinch of emptiness ran through him when he realized that he was not going to able to see Grimmjow again for who-knows-how-long and… and…

Ulquiorra opened the door to what appeared to be the master bedroom and turned on the light to see. The queen-sized bed was simple but the sheets were of a blue color while the border of the cloth was green. The lamp table was also a shade of green and the wall was painted a sky blue… EVERYTHING was blue or green or blue-green; the closet, the desk and chair. The bathroom and carpet were still white though. Ulquiorra moaned quietly to himself, finally feeling the loneliness of being away from Grimmjow sink in. He closed the door behind him to find another note from Szayel.

_Grimmjow designed this room… It wasn't my idea. Anyway, walk over to the lamp table and open the drawer. There's an envelope with money inside as well as a credit card and instructions on how to use it in case the money provided there isn't enough. Aizen-sama's orders… ~Szayel_

A small smile graced his lips upon reading the message, happiness bubbling within him. Really, now, Grimmjow. Shaking his head, Ulquiorra, finally feeling tired, decided to take a short bath in an attempt to relieve some of his current stress.

He walked to the bathroom and turned on the water, the steam from the hot water filling the room. He walked to his closet, searching for some towels. He opened his closet door to find himself staring at not only towels but an assortment of clothes from black vests, ties, pants, shoes and jackets, white shirts and extra garments and school uniforms. He realized that the simple suitcase he packed was nothing compared to what was in there. To be expected, there was another note:

_Grimmjow said you would look good in black and white… Um…_

Ulquiorra flipped the note around, expecting to see more to the message, but that was all there was. He gingerly examined the contents of his closet, but decided to take a fresh towel and return to his bath.

In his bathroom, once again, Ulquiorra stripped off his clothing, neatly folded them, placed them aside and climbed in the bathtub. The warm water was soothing and comfortable. Ulquiorra then proceeded to clean himself thoroughly with the assorted bathing soaps he found in a basket moments before. The room filled with the smell of lavender. As he bathed, Gin was still snoozing on the couch in the living room.

When Ulquiorra was done bathing, and feeling somewhat cleaner than before, he dried himself off and wrapped a towel over his lower half. Walking to the closet, he found some dark blue boxers, put them on, walked to his blue and green bed, lifted the covers, climbed in and fell asleep.

The next morning, Ulquiorra awoke to the sound of Gin pounding on his door.

"Ulqui-chan, wake up! Ya have 'bout an hour ter get ready! I'm suppose ta take ya ter school! Szayel already gave me ta directions."

Ulquiorra rose slowly, trudged his way to the closet and picked out a clean, neatly folded school uniform.

_Meanwhile_

Gin was in the kitchen writing down a looooong list of stuff he needed to buy. Hmm… Chocolate mix, vanilla extract, chocolate molds… The list went on and on and on.

He looked up when the door to Ulquiorra's room clicked and heard the creak of the door as the door was opened and Ulquiorra walked out, his left hand in his pocket and right hand holding on to the school bag. Emerald eyes showed a hint of annoyance.

"What are you doing?" he asked in monotone, annoyed with the fact that he had to go to a trash heap school for trash.

"Ya better get something ter eat before you go. There's a bento in ta fridge fer ya ter take ter school… And Aizen-taichou wants ya ter report back as soon as ya get back."

Ulquiorra only sighed as he walked to his fully stocked refrigerator and took out an apple. He took a small nibble, deciding it was not all that bad before eating it.

"Let's get going…" Ulquiorra said as he headed out the door. Gin folded up his list before he walked out behind him.

**Karakura High**

"Class, I would like you all to meet a new student. He's a transfer student from Germany and will be staying with us until the end of the month," the teacher said. "Come on in. Don't be shy."

A boy with fair skin, green eyes, and raven black hair walked in the room.

"Please face the class."

_Is this some sort of torture???_

Ulquiorra slowly did as he was told.

"Please introduce yourself to the class."

"My name is Ulquiorra Schiffer," he said flatly. Then, he noticed a particular boy with orange hair stare back at him with his jaw wide open, his pencil dropping to the floor with a soft clatter.

"All right then. Ulquiorra, please take the empty desk next to Ichigo Kurosaki. Ichigo, please raise your hand."

Ulquiorra could see Ichigo raise a trembling hand in the air, identifying himself. Ulquiorra walked steadily towards the empty desk while hearing numerous whispers from the girls in the class.

"_Wow , he's cute."_

"_I know! And it's just our luck! Valentine's Day is in almost a week too!"_

"_You don't have a chance! He's sooo mine!"_

Ulquiorra just ignored them. _Trash._

"Okay class, please settle down. Take out your Math book and turn to page 89. We'll be learning trigonometry today. Ulquiorra-kun, please share with Kurosaki."

Ichigo reluctantly moved over so Ulquiorra could see his book.

_So this is the Ryoka boy Aizen-sama was talking about… His reiatsu is strong compared to all the trash in this class, but it's nothing much to worry about…_

"Hey!" Ichigo whispered. "What the fuck are you doing here?!"

"It's none of your concern, Kurosaki," Ulquiorra whispered back, his eyes never leaving the book.

_He's definitely the arrancar from that last time… But why can't I sense his reiatsu? What the hell is going on???_

Ulquiorra sighed and shifted his gaze to look at Ichigo straight in the eyes, his stare sending a chill down Ichigo's spine.

"I needed some peace and quiet… It's something quite hard to get lately. Rest your worries, shinigami, you might have sensed this but this particular gigai does not allow me to use any of my powers. I won't bring harm to any of your friends."

"…"

When Ulquiorra returned to his place of residence, he found that the house was empty save for a note placed on the couch in front of the fireplace.

_Went back to Las Noches… Don't forget to contact Aizen~! _

_Gin_

Ulquiorra picked up his cell phone and dialed back.

"Ah… Ulquiorra, is your mission going well?"

"Yes, Aizen-sama."

"Do you enjoy your home? Szayel and Grimmjow prepared everything for you. You should thank them."

"Yes, Aizen-sama."

"So what progress have you made?"

"Ichigo Kurosaki, the substitute shinigami… He is well aware of my presence, but I managed to convince him that I am just as harmless in my current state as a mere human."

"Very good…" There was a hint of amusement in his voice. "Remember your mission…"

"Yes, sir."

The phone clicked off. Ulquiorra sighed.

_This is going to be harder than I thought._

* * *

**Okay so... there's my third chapter... I know it's late for Valentine's Day and I origionally planned on slacking off and not write it but heehee I did anyway ^.^"! ANNNYway, next time I update, I'll try to post up two chapters at once. One, the actual 4th chapter and another that's dedicated to real chocolate recipes and how to make them. So if any of you guys out there wanna take a crack at making chocolate for next year or some other special occasion, go for it!**

**And for the recipes, if there are specific ones yall might find interesting, DO TELL ME! maybe I'll find a recipe, put it up and dedicate it to you!**

**On the side note, the code: 97305... has absolutely NO MEANING. I was typing in the dark and was pressing random numbers on my number pad... xP**

**~LR**

**Other than that, Please review! :D**


	4. Las Noches Day 1

**Author's Note:**

**Hey yall, I'm back! (^.^).**

**So anyways, I DID manage to find some totally awesome chocolate recipes. And in THIS chapter, there's a really basic one and it's fairly easy to make, and I will repost it on the list of different chocolate recipes in the next chapter soon! Just have to gather them up and organize them a little bit. It'll be faster than me updating all this because I'm pretty much just copying and pasting and seeing which ones are interesting and not ...ew... So that's coming REALLY SOON (I promise!)**

**And like always, this fanfic would not be possible without my awesome Beta Reader. So LOVE HER!**

**Um... **

**I don't own Bleach and I didnt NOT think up the chocolate recipes. They belong to their respective websites.**

**Thanks for keeping up with this story so far yall! I LOVE YOU ALL! and please Read and Review! :3**

**~LR**

* * *

Grimmjow walked back to his room, annoyed with the fact that Ulquiorra left on such short notice. And as they parted ways in front of the door to Szayel's lab, he did not dare look back lest he would be overcome by the urge to grab him and take him right then and there. No. That would have been very awkward to intrude upon. And Gin would harass them for weeks if he happened to catch them in the act.

So Grimmjow walked slowly back to his room, his heart felt heavy, yet empty. And when he heard the door to Szayel's lab opening and closing behind him, it took him all his will power to walk to his empty room.

He quietly entered his room, knowing that no one was there to greet him, and laid on his bed, his hands behind his head. _I hope Ulquiorra will at least appreciate the house Szayel and I designed…_

Thinking back to a few days ago, while Ulquiorra was off on a three day mission…

"_Oi, Grimmjow," Szayel said, knocking on the door and waking up a very annoyed blue-haired Espada in the process._

"_Eh? What do you want?" Grimmjow said as he yawned. He was not happy about being woken up from his nap._

"_Aizen-sama gave both of us an assignment regarding Ulquiorra's next assignment… He wants the two of us to design a temporary home for Ulquiorra in the human world… The architectural plans have already been made and the home itself is in the process of being built," Szayel said as he adjusted his glasses. "All that's left are furniture, clothes, and basically the interior of the home."_

_Grimmjow was suddenly alert at the mention of Ulquiorra's name. _

"_What do you want me to do?"_

"_We're going to the human world to go shopping!" Szayel announced, "Furniture, clothes, and all the necessities. And probably some non-perishable food items."_

"_Why would Ulquiorra need all that crap?"_

"_Well, he needs to blend in with humans, first of all. Second, Aizen-sama already gave me the assignment of creating a more human-like version of Ulquiorra. He's going to go to the human world posing as a human."_

"_Anything else?" Grimmjow growled, obviously pissed that Ulquiorra was probably going to leave for another mission as soon as he comes back._

"_Nope. That's pretty much it."_

_Grimmjow followed Szayel to his lab where a Garganta stood waiting for them to enter._

"_Aizen-sama gave me this card." Szayel showed him a blue and silver credit card. "This should pay for anything that we buy. No limit."_

How the hell does a piece of plastic do anything?_ Grimmjow thought to himself._

"_Get into this gigai." Szayel pointed to a gigai that was a perfect resemblance to Grimmjow, except that his hollow hole and mask were gone._

"_Damn what a pain." _

_When they were both in their gigai, they stepped through the Garganta and arrived in the human world on a busy Saturday morning. The streets were crowded and filled with people – whether they were going shopping or to some Saturday class, or to work, the people walking by would often give them a small stare, not accustomed to their oddly colored hair._

That was how the two of them ended up going to store after store buying outfit after outfit. And by the time they arrived at the place where Ulquiorra would later be staying for his next mission, each carried an armload of shopping bags that were enough to bury someone alive under as Szayel struggled to open the front door.

_I wonder how Ulquiorra likes those clothes and his bedroom. I didn't know interior decorating would be such a pain in the ass._

Grimmjow woke up with a start at the sound of knocking on the other side. _Damn. Must've fallen asleep._

"Grimmjow," the sound of the Octava Espada's voice called out. "Gin's back from the human world… with a LOT of… stuff…"

Grimmjow growled softly to himself as he pulled himself out of bed and walked to the door, opened it and found himself looking at a very nervous, if not distraught, looking Szayel.

"What's wrong with you?" Grimmjow asked, slightly confused.

"Gin just informed us of another meeting. And lately, every time he does call us in for a meeting, I have a feeling that something bad is going to happen."

"Tell me about it," Grimmjow said, "I guess we better get our asses there."

The two walked silently towards the throne room.

When they arrived at the throne room, the doors were locked and a note was stuck to the large double doors.

_Please proceed to the kitchen. ~Gin_

"Where the FUCK is the kitchen?!" Grimmjow yelled upon reading the short note.

"Dammit… do you have to be so loud?" Szayel said beside him while covering his ears.

"To be frank-" Starrk walked up beside them with a yawn "-I didn't even know we had a kitchen…"

"Hm? Look here," Szayel said as he flipped the note over. "There's a small map on the back. I guess we're gonna go that way." He pointed to the hallway on his right. "Let's wait for all the others to come too."

So when all of the Espadas (except Ulquiorra of course) arrived, they all walked down corridor after unfamiliar corridor and after several twists and turns, they arrived. Everyone let out a big sigh of relief.

As Grimmjow opened the door, a strong, delicious aroma invaded their nostrils. The Espadas, not knowing what it was, began sniffing the air, trying to decipher what the smell was. They were so busy trying to figure out what the smell was that they did not notice Gin walking towards them until he was right in front of the door, grinning.

"Well, well," Gin said cheerfully, "Ya managed ter find ta place after all. I was beginin' ter get worried."

_Silence_

"Anyway, this is ta kitchen and ta place wher' all ta food is made."

The only response Gin got back was nine very confused looks.

"Eh? Ya all thought Aizen-taichou made all ta food fall outta thin air?" _This is gonna be fun._ Gin only grinned wider.

Unfortunately, a few of Espada did not get the joke and a few of them slowly nodded their heads. (Oh the shame!)

Gin only sighed as he explained why everyone was gathered there. "Well… Ya see, Aizen-taichou decided ta have a dessert party on Valentine's Day and yer all gonna make an assortment of chocolate for ta party that's held in less than a week."

The Espadas all let out a groan.

"Doncha worry. It's gonna be fun!" Gin said as he flash-stepped behind the stunned Espadas, pushed them through the door and into the kitchen.

Inside the kitchen, there were sixteen stoves and ovens in total – save for the wall with the entrance, there were five against each wall, which was pretty much fifteen individually equipped state of the art kitchens crammed into one room, with a simple stool in the center of every one. There were also pots, pans and anything else a typical chief would only dream of in a kitchen. In the center of the large room were another stove and oven with two pots full of brown, bubbling sweetness placed on top of two unlit stoves. And bags upon bags of, apparently, groceries as well as piles and piles of books and measuring utensils of all shapes and sizes littered the counters.

"Everyone just grab a seat and sit down."

The Espadas did so quietly.

Once they sat down, still slightly confused as to why they were there, Gin pulled out a chef hat, put it on, and clapped his hands together and made the big announcement:

"WELCOME TA COOKIN' CLASS 101!" Gin said loudly and cheerfully, "Today, we're gonna learn how ta make chocolate!"

Grimmjow barely managed to hold back a scream. _GOD DAMMIT! NOT THIS SHIT AGAIN!!_

"Now ya must all be wondering what the smell in this room is, ne?" Gin asked. "This is what chocolate smells like. And once I'm done demonstratin', yer all on yer own."

Szayel began to panic. _What the hell is "cooking"?_

"So… We're all gonna start with some basic chocolate candy," Gin said, as cheerful as ever, as he pulled out nine small cards and passed them around the room. "Please read ta ingredients' list."

Everyone stared at their card:

_3 cups sugar_

_5 tablespoons of cocoa_

_1 tablespoon butter_

_1 teaspoon vanilla_

_1 cup milk (**A/N:** the origional recipe didnt have a specific amount so try experimenting between 1-2 cups.)_

"So, now that we know what ter use, gather up the ingredients. I labeled everythin' so it'll be easier ta find. Cups are these." Gin took a measuring cup and showed it around the room. "See da numbers on ta cup? You need ta fill the sugar till it touches ta line saying '1' three times." He pointed to the '1' on the cup.

"Put this in this saucepan here." Gin took one out from a cabinet. "They all look da same so just look for da one tha looks like that, and they're all in the same cabinet – second one to the left. Ya need ta also fill the table spoon," Gin said as he lifted one up for all to see, "Five times with cocoa and toss that in with da sugar." He did just that.

"Then measure out a cup o' milk and pour that in da saucepan too." Gin walked to the stove and turned on the burner. "Now set the heat to around 234 ta 240 degrees Fahrenheit. And put da saucepan on top. Stir with this wooden spoon while this mixture boils. Ya don't wanna get ta chocolate burnt. When it bubbles, take it off da stove and mix in da vanilla and butter until it's creamy," Gin said as he demonstrated.

"Then, pour it out on this buttered tray, I prepared dis while I was waitin' fer ya all to get here, and let it cool." Gin poured the hot, bubbly mixture on to the buttered tray. "Now jus' wait for it to cool down and harden. And once it does, jus' cut it into little square pieces and yer done."

_Hm… doesn't seem hard,_ Szayel thought as he adjusted his glasses with his fingers.

"Now, everyone go get whatever ingredients ya need. And get started."

All nine Espadas scrambled to the center counter, scrambling for cups, vanilla, cocoa and milk.

Gin looked on in amusement. "Well, Imma leave ya all here fer a while. I got some business ta take care of. The instructions are also on ta cards I gave ya."

He took off his chef hat and walked out the door.

~Meanwhile~

Grimmjow looked at his recipe card one last time, making sure he got all the ingredients in the right quantity before proceeding to butter up his tray. When that was done, he put his saucepan on the stove and began to stir. _Hey! This isn't as hard as I thought._

"Holy shit, Grimmjow," Nnoitra said behind him, "I didn't know you knew how to cook."

Grimmjow just shrugged.

Suddenly, an explosion interrupted the silence. Everyone turned to the direction of the explosion to see that Yammy's front side was covered in brown goo. Poor Yammy had forgotten to stir, and a bubble that formed grew to such an enormous size that once it exploded, half of its original content was lost. Those that were not burnt anyway.

Yammy blinked a few times, still not sure what the hell had just happened, when Gin, along with Aizen walked back into the room.

"What in da world happened here?" Gin almost choked on his own laughter at the sight of Yammy.

"…" Aizen was just too shocked to speak.

"Gin, I hope you know what you're doing," Aizen said softly in Gin's ear.

"Eh, don't worry Aizen-taichou. I can handle this."

Aizen turned around and left quietly and Gin closed the door. But in the midst of the chaos, nobody heard Aizen cracking himself up on the other side of the door.

"Ahem." Everyone stopped moving except Grimmjow who, this entire time, was busy cutting up his chocolate squares.

"Let's see how all o' ya did." Gin walked around the kitchen, inspecting each Espada's finished product. Tsk-ing as he walked by some (Yammy) and congratulated others for a job well done.

"Okay," Gin said after he finished inspecting everyone's finished product, "Now that most o' ya got the basics, yer all gonna make an original chocolate-included dessert as part of a dessert contest Aizen, me, and a special guest will be judging. Yer all dismissed except for the people's names that I call out: Grimmjow, Szayel, and Nnoitra."

Everyone except for the said three quickly exited the room, relieved that the torture was finally over.

"Well, I told da three o' ya to stay 'cause only da three of ya managed not to burn your chocolate or make it… explode," Gin said slowly.

_Please let this be the end. Please let this be the end._ Szayel prayed silently.

"Which is why I'm putting da three o' yer in charge of making all the desserts for the party!" Gin announced cheerfully.

The three Espadas responded with silence.

"Well, better get to it then. There's quite a few and the ones that are marked are the ones Aizen-taichou want ya guys ta make," Gin said as he turned around to leave. "Have fun!"

When the three Espadas finally realized what had happened, Grimmjow fumed.

"WHY THE FUCK DO WE HAVE TO MAKE ALL THIS SHIT?!" he screamed.

Szayel covered his ears and retorted, "How the hell should I know?!"

Nnoitra walked back to where his chocolate squares were and took a bite. "Ya know, this stuff ain't half bad."

Szayel, ignoring Nnoitra completely, walked to the counter where all the recipe books were, grabbed one and began flipping pages. "Might as well get started now…"

* * *

* * *

**A/N: So... did anyone catch the chocolate recipe? Dont worry if you didnt! I'm planning to post up a chapter dedicated to different recipes and how to make them next so... (just a bit longer!)**

**I hope you enjoyed the fourth chapter! Thanks for reading and please dont forget to review! ^_^ **

**_oxox_ LR**


	5. Chocolate Recipes

**Author's Note:**

**Hey all. Well, here's a list of some chocolate recipes (good for any occasion) that I thought you might all like. =) And just in case, Please look up any cooking terms that come up throughout that you might not know.**

**Disclaimer: All recipes belong to their respective websites. I do not own them. They were merely posted for your convenience.**

* * *

**Basic Chocolate Squares**

As demonstrated by Gin

Ingredients:

3 cups sugar

5 tablespoons cocoa

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup Milk (**AN**: there was no specific quantity so experiment with 1-2 cups. The point of the Milk is to dissolve the sugar and cocoa but not make it soupy.)

Directions:

Combine the sugar, milk, and cocoa in a saucepan and bring it to the boil while stirring. Boil until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage at 234-240 degrees F.

Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla until mixture is creamy. Pour onto a buttered tray and allow to cool. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container.

* * *

**Oreo Truffles **

Dedicated to **Cat Streaked By Rain **for suggesting and telling me the recipe =)

Ingredients:

1lb Oreo cookies (3 sleeves)

8 ounce cream cheese (room temperature)

1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract (Using different extracts allow for subtle flavor changes. Try using mint extract up to 1 tsp) (optional)

1 lb milk chocolate

1/2 lb white chocolate

Directions:

Grind cookies to fine powder.

With mixer, blend cookie powder, cream cheese and vanilla extract until thoroughly mixed (should be no white traces of cream cheese)Roll into small balls and place on wax-lined cookie sheet.

Refigerate for 45 two cookie sheets with wax paper.

In double-boiler, melt milk chocolate. Dop balls and coate thoroughly.

With slotted spoon, lift balls out of chocolate and let excess chocolate drop off. Place on wax-paper-lined cookie spearate double boiler, melt white chocolate.

Using a fork, drizzle white chocolate over balls. Let in airtight container, in refrigerator.

Note: If you wanna be lazy, roll the truffles into various mixtures - chopped nuts, chocolate sprinkles, vari-coloured candy sprinkles, cocoa powder, chocolate shavings, coloured sugars -- still pretty -- less work.

* * *

**White Chocolate Truffles**

Ingredients:

8 ounces of white chocolate, chopped in small pieces

1/3 cup butter

1 egg yolk

3/4 cup toasted almonds, minced

Directions:

Melt the chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler. Remove from heat. Add the egg yolk and beat at medium speed until fluffy and cooled. Cover and allow to rest in a cool, dry place for 12-24 hours. **Do not refrigerate.**

Shape into 1 inch balls and roll in the almonds. Cover and chill. Return to room temperature before serving. Makes about 24 truffles.

Helpful Hints: If mixture is too soft to form into balls, stir in 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar at a time until you reach the desired consistency.

* * *

**Chocolate Covered Butter Caramels (Dark Chocolate)**

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 1/3 cups heavy whipping cream

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/3 cup honey

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon pure vanilla

3 teaspoons sea salt, divided

1 lb. dark chocolate, chopped fine

Directions:

Line an 8 inch square pan with foil and coat foil with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Allow for enough foil to hang over the edges.

Bring cream to boil in a heavy saucepan. Add sugar, corn syrup, and honey and return to the boil, stirring constantly. Wash sides of pan with pastry brush and warm water to prevent sugar crystals.

On medium heat continue boiling until temperature reaches 257 degrees F. on your candy thermometer. Remove from heat and stir in butter, vanilla, and 2 teaspoons of sea salt.

Pour caramel into foil lined pan and allow to cool for about 1 hour until cool. Tip caramel out onto a cutting board and peel the foil off. Cut caramel into 1 inch strips and then into 2 inch segments.

Line two baking sheets with waxed paper. Melt and temper the chocolate. Place the caramels into the tempered chocolate and coat well. Remove from chocolate using a fork or candy dipper, shaking off excess chocolate. Slide onto waxed paper. Before chocolate sets completely, sprinkle the tops with remaining sea salt.

Allow to cool completely at room temperature, or chill in refrigerator for 10-15 minutes. Store in an airtight container between layers of waxed paper, at room temperature.

* * *

**Chocolate Almond Toffee**

Ingredients:

**Toffee:**

1 cup butter flavored Crisco  
1 cup sugar  
1/3 cup honey  
1/3 cup whipping cream  
16 ounces sliced almonds

**Glaze:**

12 ounces semisweet chocolate  
2 tsp. butter flavored Crisco

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie 2 cookie sheets or jelly roll pans with foil. Grease the foil with butter flavored Crisco.

In a heavy saucepan, combine Crisco, sugar, honey, and whipping cream. Heat at medium high heat until boiling, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 1/2 minutes, then remove from heat. Addnuts and stir until completely covered.

Press mixture onto cookie sheets and spread out to about 1/4 inch thickness. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-12 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Cool for about 5 minutes before removing foil fromcookie sheet. Leave the toffee on the foil and allow to cool completely on waxed paper.

To prepare glaze, melt chocolate and 2 tsp. Crisco in saucepan on low heat, or place in microwave safe bowl and microwave at medium heat in 1 minute intervals stirring every minute until melted and smooth. Allow to cool slightly.

Peel foil from toffee. Spread chocolate over the smooth bottom. Cool completely and cut into squares.

* * *

**Chocolate English Toffee**

Dedicated to **Dior Crystal** for being awesome for multiple reasons.

(**AN:**This is also my favorite chocolate candy :P)

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped almonds  
1 cup butter  
1 cup brown sugar  
4 Hershey chocolate bars

Directions:

Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the nuts in a greased 9x12 pan. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add sugar and mix well. Boil for 12 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add remaining nuts to hot mixture. Pour into pan. Place chocolate bars on top of mixture. When melted, spread chocolate, cut into squares and allow to cool

* * *

**Chocolate Roses (Warning: VERY COMPLICATED)**

Note: You can make them out of dark, white or milk chocolate. Secret to making it better: Temper the chocolate.

If you are making small rosebuds, you can place forists wire in the base of chocolate as it sets. You will easily be able to wrap it with florist's tape, adding a few artificial leaves as you go. For larger roses, use lollipop sticks or skewers to support the weight of your flower. finish it off with a ribbon!

Special Supplies: (check Candyland Crafts for special candy supplies. Just google it.)

Chocolate Rose mold. (try amazon, Candyland Crafts, or One Stop Candle)

**_Chocolate and Molding_:**

Prepare your chocolate for melting. If it is not already in pieces, break it up into small pieces. This will help it to melt quicker and more evenly. You can use a cutting board and a large sharp knife to do the job, or even grate it finely with a grater. (**AN: **Using Hershey Kisses work well)

Melt the chocolate using either a double boiler or the microwave. You will get the very best results if you temper the chocolate rather than simply melting it. Just follow the instructions for tempering chocolate. If you decide to forego that method, just be sure to keep any moisture from getting in your chocolate as you melt it.

**To melt chocolate in the microwave -** Place chocolate pieces in a microwave safe bowl. Heat at medium for 1 minute. Stir chocolate, even if it doesn't look like it needs it. Repeat process until chocolate is completely melted and smooth.

**To melt chocolate in the double boiler -** Heat water in the bottom pan of the double boiler on low heat. Don't boil the water. Be sure the water is low enough that it will not touch the base of the upper pan or bowl. Place chocolate pieces in the top of the double boiler and stir constantly after it starts to melt.

Spoon the chocolate into your molds. If you want to make the task a lot easier, fill your molds using a plastic squeeze bottle or a pastry bag. You could even fill a ziploc bagand cut off the tip and use it to pipe in the chocolate.

Tap the filled molds on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles in the chocolate. Place the molds in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. Check to see if they have set.

If your candy molds are clear, you can hold them up and look at the bottom to see if the chocolate has released itself from the mold. If they are large pieces you may need to chill them longer.

The quality of the appearance will be better if you over chill when molding chocolate rather than under chill. (Put it in the freezer longer)

Turn chocolate candy molds upside down and gently tap them on the table or countertop covered with wax paper. The molded chocolates should drop right out.

Clean your molds with warm, soapy water. If they are plastic, don't put the molds in the dishwasher. :)

Chocolate can be melted over and over, so, if you have any leftovers (impossible!) you can put it in a container for future use **(AN: or just eat it).** Store your chocolate in a cool dry place.

**Final Touches:**

clear cellophane,

4" squares,

1 per rosefloral wire

floral tape

artificial leaves

confectioners glue

**Confectioners glue** is an edible mixture used in some candy making. Confectioner's glue is made by whisking together 2 teaspoons of meringue powder (egg white powder) and 1/8 cup water, and then mixing in 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar until thick and smooth.

Prepare confectioners glue and then "glue" bottoms of two red kisses together to form each rose. Allow to set.

Poke floral wire through the center of a cellophane square and then into one pointed end of each rose.

Twist cellophane slightly around wire and kisses and secure with floral tape. Continue wrapping tape down the wire "stem" adding a couple of leaves as you go.

If you want to present a complete bouquet, choose a pretty ribbon to secure the roses together. You can even wrap the chocolate bouquet in tissue paper to complete the look.

* * *

**A/N: Well, these are just a few that I managed to find so far. Good luck in the kitchen. And if you guys have any suggestions for recipes, please private message me!**

**And Please review! ^^.**

**Human World Day 2 coming soon!**


	6. Human World Day 2

**Author's Note:**

**Okay so I'm back with a new chappy :P. And it's back to Ulquiorra! And I think things are actually beginning to heat up! And Also, I've been getting requests for cakes and other chocolatey yummy goodness so I'll try to find some and post them up along with the next chapter (like I did last time)**

**Anyway... I think this chapter, before you read, ended up being a bit on the angsty side since I'm NOT going to let Ulquiorra see Grimmjow anytime soon! (*laughs evily*)**

**_Grimmjow: And I thought YOU were cruel Ulquiorra_ TT_TT**

**_Ulquiorra: ..._ T^T**

**_Me: Ha! You think I'M cruel??? Braces are the second worst thing ever invented by mankind!_**

**_Grimmjow: What are-_**

**_Me: Don't ask._**

**Anyways... without further ado, Day two in the Human world!**

**If you haven't read the disclaimers... *takes deep breath* I do not own Bleach. All characters in Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo and no one else! (until I buy it off of him in twenty billion years... yeah... not gonna happen -,-)**

**None of this is going to be even CLOSE to being possible without my out-of-this-universe beta reader: Dior Crystal (She deserves worship!)**

**Annnnd yeah... ^.^"**

**Well, enjoy!**

* * *

Ulquiorra woke up to the piercing sound of his blue and green alarm clock ringing. This only served to annoy him since he barely got any sleep.

_How do humans survive doing so much work in a day?_ Sure, he had done plenty of writing – reports and what not, but… Geez.

However, being somewhat used to being woken up during random hours of everyday, Ulquiorra sat up sluggishly, rubbing the sleep away from his eyes with a small yawn. According to Kurosaki, today was Thursday – the fourth day of a five-consecutive-days school week.

Ulquiorra pulled away his covers, climbed out of bed and trudged slowly to his closet, where he proceeded to change into a clean set of the school uniform. He then walked to the restroom, brushed his teeth, rinsed and splashed ice-cold water on his face, finally waking himself up.

He picked up his school bag, which was packed and ready to go the night before, and proceeded to the kitchen where he decided to grab a Poptart and walked out the door, making sure he locked it before walking outside to the front gates.

Upon nearing his front gate, he noticed a mess of orange hair at the corner, walking towards his house.

"What do you want, Kurosaki?" Ulquiorra interrogated, his voice not betraying any sort of emotion.

"Erm… Well," Kurosaki mumbled as he scratched his head in an attempt to think of an excuse while emerald eyes stared at him.

Ulquiorra only sighed, "Would it ease your mind if I invited you over this weekend?"

"Eh?" Ichigo was completely caught off guard by his offer.

"It would seem that you still do not believe in my intentions for being here," Ulquiorra stated. "It is your choice whether to accept my offer or not."

"…"

Ulquiorra began to walk towards the direction of school, leaving Ichigo to catch up.

"Th-that's not what I meant! I always imagined you to be the loner-type that's all," Ichigo defended.

_This should be interesting…_

When the bell rang for the beginning of their first class, Ulquiorra and Ichigo stepped in to the room, and silently found their seats as the teacher walked in.

And as the lesson dragged on and on, Ichigo's mind wandered off. _Why the hell would- No, it has to be a trap. Damn it._

"Mr. Kurosaki. Is something the matter? You don't look so well," the teacher questioned, noticing Ichigo's unusual expression; his eyes were intense as he clenched his fists and teeth tightly in an attempt to calm his nerves. But when the teacher called out his name, he snapped out of his stupor.

"N-no, Sensei…" Ichigo managed to mumble and the teacher turned back to focus on the lesson.

"Now class, trigonometric identities are…" The teacher began to write on the board.

"So… Tell me why you're really here," Ichigo whispered to Ulquiorra, whom was still sharing his textbooks.

"It's quite a long story," Ulquiorra sighed. _Humans and their emotions… They'll break easily if you know how to manipulate them. Use their emotions to your advantage,_ Ulquiorra recalled Aizen's advice. "Perhaps I will explain to you after class. If that is what you wish." _This should give me enough time to make something up._

"Ulquiorra, would you please come up to the board and solve this problem?" the teacher interrupted their conversation.

Ulquiorra stood up and walked quietly to the front of the class, with the entire class' girls fawning over him as he walked, with his hands in his pockets. He took a piece of chalk and began to calculate the problem. After a mere minute, he placed the chalk piece down and walked back to his seat, uttering not a word throughout the whole thing.

"Very good."

The bell rang for the start of lunch. But before the students were dismissed the teacher made a special announcement;

"Tomorrow morning, class, you will all report to the school's kitchen at the beginning of the day. We will be learning how to make chocolate. Just in time for Valentine's Day. You are dismissed."

As the students began to leave the classroom, Ulquiorra heard some of the girls whispering about the cooking event that will happen Monday morning.

Before even five minutes had passed, Orihime, Ichigo, Ishida and Ulquiorra were the only ones remaining in the classroom.

"So… Would you like to explain?" Ichigo questioned.

Ulquiorra quietly put away all his school material before standing up and turning his gaze on Ichigo and his friends.

"I… was named a traitor," Ulquiorra began, "You see, one of the Espadas is close to what you humans would label as a 'mad scientist.'"

"Holy sh-" Uryuu shuddered, remembering someone he fought back in Soul Society – Captain Freaky.

"He wanted to use me as an experimental subject, however, I always heard horrifying screams coming from the other side of his laboratory. I flatly said 'No'. But he was a persistent idiot and I lashed out at him, breaking one of Aizen-sama's strictest rules: Arrancars are not to harm other Arrancars unless ordered or approved."

Orihime's eyes widened with a mixture of sympathy and fear.

"Since I received no previous approval, Aizen-sama deemed me as a traitor," Ulquiorra continued to tell his made up story. "If anyone in Hueco Mundo so much as detects me, Aizen-sama is likely to send an entire army of hollows and arrancars after me. This is why I have to hide my reiatsu. Even the slightest hint of where I am will allow Aizen-sama to track me down. And that is why I am here."

Ulquiorra walked out of the classroom and out to the school yard before Ichigo and his gang had the chance to catch up. _I have to contact Szayel and Aizen-sama right away._ He was going to have a hell lot of things to explain, but seeing that Ichigo was following in pursuit, he could not blow his cover. _Well, I guess it will have to wait._

Suddenly, the sky began to darken, signalling the coming of a storm. And drops of rain began to fall from the sky. Ulquiorra looked up in wonder as the water hit his face. _What is this?_

"Oi!" Ichigo called out, "It's raining pretty hard. Unless ya wanna get a cold, ya better get back in the building."

"Rain," Ulquiorra mouthed the word.

"Yes, rain," Ichigo said as he stepped beside him.

"This feels… refreshing…" Ulquiorra closed his eyes as he felt the rain drops landing all over his body, soaking his school uniform. Rain.

"We should head back inside. Class is about to start," Ichigo said quietly.

Ulquiorra complied and walked silently back into the school building with Ichigo following behind.

The rest of the day resumed quietly; Ichigo never uttering another question or showing anymore signs of distrust. Ulquiorra got them all wrapped around his finger.

As another torturous day of school ended, Ulquiorra was, once again, in the privacy of his own residence. As soon as he closed the door and ran in to his room, he yanked his cell phone and quickly dialed the number he wanted.

"Hey, Ulquiorra!" The upbeat voice of the Octava Espada almost made Ulquiorra homesick.

"Szayel, I have a favor to ask."

"Hold on. I have to put you on speaker. Aizen-sama also wants a report of your progress."

"…"

"Hello, my dear Cuarta. I hope your mission is going smoothly."

"Yes, Aizen-sama. But I have a request."

"Hm? What would your request be?"

"You gave me permission to use any method necessary to draw out the Substitute Shinigami and his friends."

"Yes. I do recall."

"I told them that I was a traitor and that you will be sending an army after me to supposedly 'exterminate' me."

"What the hell, Ulquiorra?" Szayel's voice chimed in.

"And I also said that you are a mad scientist."

"Well, I'm definitely mad _now,_" Szayel said in an attempt to make a joke.

"So what method do you propose on exposing to the Ryoka boy, Ulquiorra?"

"Send an Espada and their fraccion after me. Allow them to cause reasonable amount of damage to the town, but focus their target on me."

"Um… Ulquiorra," Szayel piped in. "You DO know that your gigai restricts all your powers, except for your eye right?"

"Yes I'm well aware of it. However, only a powerful foe will be able to force them to use their power at maximum."

"So… You're willing to use yourself as live bait?" Szayel questioned.

"Yes."

"So how is this plan going to work?" Aizen questioned, interested to see the results.

"You have a tracking device in my cell phone, right?"

"Yes," Szayel answered slowly, not liking where this is going.

"Whoever that will lead the attack will find my location through your tracker and attack me twenty-three hours and forty-two minutes from now. Set your watch, Szayel."

"Alright." Ulquiorra heard the beeps from the watch Szayel was setting on the other side.

"The Substitute Shinigami and his friends will be with me when it happens."

"How do you know?"

"They constantly follow me around… Something called 'hanging out', I believe, was the term they used. So gathering them would not be a problem."

"I see," Aizen said approvingly. "I shall arrange for this. Szayel will send you the information through the cell phone when the arrangements have been completed."

"Thank you, Aizen-sama."

"You are also dismissed, Szayel."

"Yes, sir."

There was a moment of silence before Szayel's voice chimed in on the other end.

"Okay. We're alone now. I'm back in my lab." He continued, "So… Can you make it back before Valentine's Day?"

"It is possible."

"Grimmjow's getting restless - although I can't really say things are one hundred percent normal here at the moment. Gin is making me, Nnoitra and Grimmjow make chocolates for a party…"

Hearing Grimmjow's name, Ulquiorra's heart sank.

"I will be back as soon as my mission is complete. My plan also includes whoever sent to attack me destroying my gigai so I can get back."

Suddenly a loud knocking was heard from the other side as the door opened.

"Eh. Sorry! I gotta go! Busy, busy!" Szayel said frantically.

"Szayel! OPEN THIS MOTHERFUCKING DOOR RIGHT-" and the phone clicked dead.

Ulquiorra closed his phone, lay on his bed and closed his eyes. Hearing his name made his heart sink. Hearing his voice, after so long, made him want to cry.

_Grimmjow…_

* * *

**A/N: Well, didn't I tell you it ended up being a bit angsty? It was more than I expected anyway O.o**

**So I promise to look long and hard for some delicious cakes and other chocolatey/Valentine-ish desserts (I know I'm really late but *shrugs* oh well xP)**

**Anyways, Please remember to press the green button and review! Arigato!**


	7. Las Noches Day 2

**Author's Note:**

**Hey! Well, it's been almost a month since I updated this so... here's another chapter. And I know I promised to post up some recipies for cakes and all but the truth is... for cakes... well it comes out differently everytime since not everyone's oven is the same and all. (Ingredients: One ____ brand oven) no... it's too confusing. But I'll try to find some nonetheless in the near future. AP tests are coming in the beginning of May (no Fanime this year TT_TT) so I'll be busy with my AP classes and reviewing. **

**But enough of my excuses x3...**

**This fanfiction is coming to an end soon (about two more chapters or so) and so I will be able to focus on my _Would You Like a Cookie?_ Fanfiction - which I think is going to get interesting. Frankly, I dont write and plan like "normal" people. I just write what's going on in my head. (good for fanfics not for essays by the way). **

**Um... O.o**

**I dont own Bleach. Mom doesnt even let me near regular bleach since she thinks I'm going to get thirsty and drink it or something O.O but that's not the point at all. I DO NOT OWN BLEACH OF ANY KIND PERIOD! Tite Kubo owns the cool one =). You know what I'm talking about.**

**As always, none of this is possible with out my beta-of-awesomeness _Dior Crystal_. As well as all of you readers out there! You guys make me smile reading your lovely reviews. And especially to the friends I made on here that's been so supportive and awesome! _BlackasDay, ElementistMagicAkua... _Just to name a few. Or this entire chapter would be me listing names rather than the chapter (and thats probably not a good thing) You guys help me keep my sanity in check. x3.**

**Anyways...**

**Happy UlquixGrimm day! 4/6/10 !!!!!! (it's bi-annual)**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Grimmjow busted into the room just when Szayel frantically jammed his cell phone into his pocket.

"Who the hell was that?!"

"Shouldn't you be making your share of the desserts?" Szayel asked while adjusting his glasses, obviously avoiding the Sexta's question.

"Hell…" Grimmjow sighed as he looked around the room. "Why the fuck do you look like you just had a panic attack?"

"Um… well…" _Damn it. Why did he have to show up now?_

"Where's Nnoitra anyway?"

"Last time I saw him, he was in the kitchen with Tesla," Szayel answered in relief, as the conversation had a change of topic.

"Then see ya." Grimmjow turned around and walked out.

Poor Grimmjow slowly walked down the maze-like corridors and hallways of Las Noches and headed towards the kitchen. Might as well get all of the ingredients ready to make another batch of dessert… It was not that any of the three enjoyed making tray after tray after tray of assorted chocolates for hour after hour, an order was an order. And this was no exception.

Grimmjow walked into the kitchen to find Tesla diligently stirring the sweet, brown, bubbly liquid. It seemed that the fraccion was the only one in the kitchen. Or at least that was what Grimmjow thought until he heard the sound of soft snoring close by. The Sexta walked towards the source of the snoring to find Nnoitra leaning against a counter on the opposite end of the kitchen, sleeping.

Behind him, he heard the sound of Tesla taking the pot full of melted chocolate off of the stove and the clank as he set it on the counter.

Grimmjow grinned mischievously at Nnoitra's sleeping figure and decided to jab him in his hollow hole – the most annoying place for anyone to poke for fun, but before Grimmjow's finger made contact, a hand shot out and grabbed him by the wrist, restraining him from moving his hand any closer.

Grimmjow redirected his attention to the hand's owner, which happened to be Tesla. But as their eyes made contact, Grimmjow growled menacingly, making Tesla immediately withdraw his hand from Grimmjow's wrist. Tesla kneeled and bowed his head.

"Grimmjow-sama… p-please forgive me," Tesla stuttered out.

Grimmjow, realizing that he probably looked like he was going to cero the Quinta's fraccion's brains out, took a deep breath before opening his mouth.

"Eh. It's alright." Grimmjow shrugged. "But… why the fuck were you doing all the work?"

"Ah… well…" Tesla, still kneeling, had no explanation prepared. His mind went blank after his near-death experience.

Beside them, Nnoitra began to stir in his sleep before he finally opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Tesla's head through what seemed like Grimmjow's hollow hole. Wait. What?! _Holy SHIT!_

"Damn it Tesla! You were supposed to wake me up if someone came in here!" Nnoitra said, his voice still laced with sleep.

"My sincerest apology Nnoitra-sama." Tesla slowly stood up. "But if I had, your last batch of chocolates would have been ruined."

"Ugh…" Nnoitra stood up slowly and walked out of the kitchen, staggering a bit like a drunkard. "Since I'm just about done with my share, I'm gonna get some sleep." The last thing Grimmjow heard before Nnoitra disappeared from view was a loud yawn.

_Fuck._ Grimmjow looked through the reduced pile of cookbooks and flipped to the last bookmarked page labeled 'centerpiece'. As Grimmjow flipped to the said page, his eyes widened. A SEVEN EFFING LAYERED CHOCOLATE CAKE?!

_This is going to take a while…_

Grimmjow moaned inwardly as he began reading through the list of ingredients so that he could make all of the preparations. God, this was becoming such tedious work he pretty much memorized the basics of making cakes. He began making the said amount of chocolate cake batter. As he preheated the oven, he searched the supplies for seven differently sized cake molds, all the while grumbling to himself. He mixed the batter absentmindedly as his thoughts drifted to a certain green eyed Espada. _I wonder how he's doing…_

Grimmjow poured the brown chocolate cake batter into the cake molds and carefully, with checkered black and white oven mitts, put the raw cakes in. He then grabbed a timer nearby and set it.

Grimmjow, after doing so, grabbed a seat and sat down. He sighed as he stared into space, waiting for the timer to ring.

_His black and white lips connecting with his… So soft… He tasted so sweet, sweeter than all the chocolate in the world…The way his normally pale skin had a tint of pink as they shed their clothing and how comforting and warm it felt to carry the smaller form in his arms as he led them both to his bed. How his emerald eyed lover wrapped his arms around him and the way he moaned, sighed, and said his name as they made love._

The sound of the timer ringing shook Grimmjow out of his daydreaming. He grabbed the oven mitts and took out the cakes one by one, setting them on the counter.

"Hey," a voice chimed in. "Aizen-sama called us for another meeting."

Grimmjow silently growled to himself.

"Oi." The pink haired scientist walked into the kitchen. "Just leave it there, I'll lock the door. Besides, the cakes need to be cooled down anyway."

"Yeah…" Grimmjow said absentmindedly as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and walked outside. He heard the click of the lock as Szayel locked the door. And the two walked silently into the throne room.

As the two Espadas made their way to the throne room, the reiatsus they sensed didn't belong to _just_ the current Espadas, but they belonged to the Privarons as well.

"What do you think is going on?"

Of course, Grimmjow was not let on on any information concerning this beforehand, so Szayel began to explain.

"Well, it has to do with Ulquiorra and his current mission and – "

"Those bastards overpowered him?!" Grimmjow roared.

"Ow!" Szayel flinched as he covered his ears. "No! Shut up and let me explain… Jeez! Ulquiorra decided to use himself as live bait since he made the Ryoka and his friends think that he was deemed a traitor. And so this meeting will most likely decide who will carry out Ulquiorra's request of going to the human world, attacking him and carrying him back here." The Octava took a deep breath and continued, "And Ulquiorra requested that one Espada lead an army of Privarons or other arrancars to infiltrate the human world, attack Karakura town, thereby forcing the Ryoka and his friends to use their powers to the maximum…"

Grimmjow's eyes widened. _You tell ME not to do anything reckless and now look at you!_ He mentally screamed. One thing was for certain, though, he HAD to be the Espada that completes that mission.

"… Well, that's about it." Szayel ended his long lecture-like explanation.

The two entered the throne room which was more crowded than usual as the Privarons and the Espadas (minus Ulquiorra) gathered. Their attention was on the throne where Aizen sat and Gin and Tousen stood on either side.

"Now that everyone is present, the meeting can begin," Aizen said calmly. "Now you all know that Ulquiorra was given a top-priority mission and he has requested the use of a small army of arrancars, led by one member of the Espada. Once the Espada leading this mission is chosen, you will receive the assignment."

"Szayel, Grimmjow, Nnoitra, Yammy," Tousen called out their names slowly and clearly. "Please follow us."

The four of them quietly followed as Aizen led the way with Gin and Tousen trailing behind. They walked to the back of the throne room.

"I think this is far enough to elude the ears of the others," Aizen said calmly. "Do you know why you are all here?"

Szayel and Grimmjow nodded while Nnoitra and Yammy looked somewhat confused. Gin just grinned as Aizen smiled at his beloved Espadas.

"Nnoitra, Yammy, both of you may go back with the rest of the group." The two bowed and walked back to the front of the throne room where everyone else was gathered. Soon the whispers began.

_What the hell was that about?_

_Do you think the war is starting early?_

_What do you think is happening?_

The five remaining people in the back of the throne room glanced back at the large crowd of Espadas and Privarons for a few seconds before returning their attention to their small group.

"I'm quite surprised you know of this, Grimmjow."

"Erm… well…"

"Szayel, you are to stay here and monitor everything to make sure our beloved Cuarta does not come to any real harm. Grimmjow, you will go to the human world and bring Ulquiorra back."

"Oh yeah! I have some interesting gadgets in the making still in the lab," the Octava said. "They should all be very useful for your mission Grimmjow."

Grimmjow did not respond. _Grimmjow, you will go to the human world and bring Ulquiorra back._ He was finally going to see Ulquiorra again, after so long! (**A/N: To be honest it's been less than three days...it just _feels_ like forever.)**

"… jow? Grimmjow!"

"Huh?"

"Move your ass! We need to go over the method of 'retrieval'. It was all Ulquiorra's idea and it's his plan so I guess I'll call him again and inform him the progress of his plan on our side."

"Oh right," he grumbled absentmindedly. "Let's go." The only thing running through his mind was the fact that he was going to finally see Ulquiorra, hear his voice, smell his scent, taste his lips and hold him close again.

They walked past the kitchen when Grimmjow realized…

"Oh SHIT! The cake! I'm still not done with that! Aizen's gonna kill me! He's gonna effing –"

"Yeah, I figured. Don't worry. Nnoitra already agreed to finish it up for you." Szayel looked back at Grimmjow and gave him a reassuring smile.

"Thanks man." Grimmjow gave a mental sigh of relief. As they entered Szayel's lab Grimmjow noticed a huge television-like screen in the middle of the room. He looked around the lab but noticed that the room, which was normally decorated with shelves upon shelves of preserved specimens and random dissection tools, was instead decorated with random gadgets and a huge white clock counting down. _Thirteen hours and forty-five minutes? What does that mean?_

He walked towards the giant screen and noticed a small row of smaller screens with a light blinking in the one on the far left and a panel of colorful buttons.

"It means Ulquiorra's at home right now," Szayel said behind him when Grimmjow looked at the small screen with the blinking green light. "I guess we can contact him now. He's alone right now. Just press the blue button on the corner over there." He pointed to said button. "Go on. Press it Grimmjow," Szayel urged.

Grimmjow slowly walked to where the panel of buttons was. With a shaking hand, he pressed the blue button. And the large screen came to life.

As Grimmjow stood back to get a better look, the screen projected the living room that he and Szayel had designed. _Still neat as usual, eh, Ulquiorra?_

And then Grimmjow saw _him_. On the couch sat a teenaged figure still in his school uniform. His face was hidden behind a book but his raven hair poked out from the sides. His skin was fair and not deathly pale, and he sat with one leg over the other. Reading. A small china teacup with steaming tea was on the coffee table. _Is that really Ulquiorra?_

"Oi, Ulquiorra! Look up!" Szayel yelled beside him. The figure on the screen did just that. Grimmjow's heart seemed to skip a beat, his breath caught in his throat as he saw the familiar emerald eyes.

It _was_ him! It was his green eyed lover. His heart leaped with joy. Ooh, how he missed him! Him! HIM! Grimmjow couldn't believe it!

"Ulquiorra..." Grimmjow mouthed silently.

_I missed you so much. Do you miss me too?_

* * *

**A/N: Okay so that's the end of another chapter. The end... I think Grimmjow ended up being a bit OOC. ANYWAY, since people have been saying "Grimmjow should go get Ulquiorra" I was like "Oh why not? I tortured those two enough." Since thoughout the entire story, they had no contact between each other whatsoever. (I'm so evil like that xD)**

**Um... Thanks for reading :D**

**_And please review (-^.^-)_**


	8. Countdown

**Author's Note:**

**So... Here's another chapter ahahaaa xD**

**AP tests are in two weeks so I'm probably going to study a bit and... yeah. **

**Thanks for all of you readers out there! It's been fun writing this and... Remember how I said last time that there's only like one or two chapters left? I LIED! xD I have NO IDEA how long this is gonna be xP eheehee -gets shot-**

**AS for my next update, I'm gonna write which ever one my head decides to come up with new ideas with first heehee.**

**Anyways, Thanks, like always to my beta reader_ Dior Crystal_ for betaing this. If you actually read my profile, I GOT A NEW BETA!!! _HanakoAnimeaddict_ Give her some love! Cause she will be betaing Would You Like A Cookie?. **

**I dont own Bleach... All credit goes to Tite Kubo (*bow to worship here)**

**Have fun reading! ^^**

* * *

Ulquiorra looked up from his textbook when Szayel's voice penetrated the silence of his temporary home to find that the pink-haired scientist was not alone – that his blue-haired lover stood beside him. Ulquiorra's emerald eyes instantly focused on Grimmjow.

_You look restless._ Ulquiorra's eyes softened as they quietly examined Grimmjow's form. Aside from losing a few pounds, Grimmjow was still Grimmjow. With his textbook still covering the lower half of his face, Ulquiorra allowed himself to smile. _Three days and you have been reduced to such a condition?_

"Ulquiorra… what are you doing up at three-fifteen in the morning?" Szayel said, realizing the time in the human world.

"I simply have no need of resting at the moment," Ulquiorra answered, his eyes still on Grimmjow.

"Well, here's the thing," Szayel began, "Aizen-sama chose Grimmjow as the Espada that will lead the 'attack'."

"I see…" Ulquiorra acknowledged.

"I made some interesting gadgets especially for this mission Ulquiorra– "

Ulquiorra yawned softly.

"Um… You should probably go get _some_ sleep," Szayel said with a hint of concern.

"Please continue," was Ulquiorra's only reply.

"Well… at the moment…" Szayel said as he fiddled his fingers nervously, "There's really not much to say except about some of the gadgets I created."

Szayel walked to one of his display shelves and picked up a silver cuff-like choker-necklace. "This necklace will have the same effect as your gigai. Grimmjow needs to clamp this on your neck as soon as he pushes you out of your gigai with this glove-" Szayel reached into his pocket and pulled out a white glove "-After having tested… um, well… since your reiatsu is completely neutralized, save your eye, there is a chance of you being overwhelmed and suffocated by Grimmjow's Espada-level reiatsu. You will be in a completely vulnerable state."

"WHAT?! You mean you haven't perfected this shit yet?!" Grimmjow yelled at Szayel, whose reflexes instantly made him cover his ears.

"It's the best I can do in half a day's notice, dammit!"

Grimmjow grumbled to himself quietly while Ulquiorra looked at the scene displayed in front of him.

"Well, what the fuck do you expect me to do now?"

"Well… there's no chance of death, if that's what you mean," Szayel said as he adjusted his classes, "His reiatsu will be quite weak since it is being suppressed so he won't be strong enough to withstand Espada-level reiatsu. Since his eye will not be disabled, he won't die."

Upon hearing this, Grimmjow calmed down a bit.

"So… how's your side of this plan coming along Ulquiorra?" Szayel inquired, changing the subject.

"Kurosaki's friends and I will be together for quite some time after school today. Something about going to a place called Harajuku in a 'Tokyo'…"

"I see… I suppose I should go and make some final arrangements. Grimmjow needs to pick out arrancars to take along with him. I just hope you know what you're doing," Szayel said with concern before exiting the lab, leaving Grimmjow and Ulquiorra alone.

Grimmjow walked to the center of the screen and his eyes bore into Ulquiorra's. "And you told _me_ not to do anything reckless."

Ulquiorra only smiled as he stood up.

"You are merely overreacting," he said flatly.

"I think you're _under_reacting," Grimmjow countered, "Since you're in that gigai, no way in hell can you use any of your powers. I just hope you know what you're doing."

"You worry too much," Ulquiorra said softly, "You seem to be forgetting that my plans have never failed. Besides-" Ulquiorra smiled – something only Grimmjow got to see on a daily basis "-You are the one that will lead my 'retrieval' part of my plan. I have nothing to worry about."

Grimmjow only stayed silent.

"Or should I?" Ulquiorra raised a questioning eyebrow.

"I guess you're right," Grimmjow said slowly.

"Grimmjow_, _I can take care of myself," Ulquiorra said reassuringly.

Szayel's voice came faintly from elsewhere, "Grimmjow, Aizen-sama wants you to pick out Privarons and Fraccions you need to take with you."

Grimmjow turned towards the direction of the voice, sighed, and turned his attention back to Ulquiorra, who still stood where he was.

"I guess I have to go."

Ulquiorra merely acknowledged it with a nod before Grimmjow turned around and left.

Ulquiorra turned off his television, sat back down on the couch and closed his eyes for a few minutes. This was it.

-Oxoxoxo-

Ulquiorra felt the warmth of the morning sun when he finally opened his eyes. He quickly got up and went to his bedroom to check the time: 5:45 AM. This gave Ulquiorra approximately one hour and fifteen minutes to get ready and head to school.

Deciding to take a quick morning shower, Ulquiorra walked to his closet, took out a fresh school uniform and placed it on his already-made bed before taking out two towels and getting the shower ready. As the bathroom began to fill up with steam from the shower, Ulquiorra undressed absentmindedly before stepping inside to scrub himself clean. His right hand drifted to where his hollow hole was supposed to be. Finally, this god-forsaken mission was coming to an end.

He got out of the shower, wrapped the towel around his waist, dried his upper body with the other, before proceeding to dress for another torturous day of school. Ulquiorra cringed slightly as he remembered what surprises awaited him today.

"… _Report to the school's kitchen at the beginning of the day. We will be learning how to make chocolate…"_

Ulquiorra prayed silently as he walked out of the house with his school bag and to the gates where Ichigo stood waiting.

"Good morning!" Ichigo called out enthusiastically as Ulquiorra exited the gates.

"Hello," Ulquiorra acknowledged, attempting to smile, as the two began to walk to their school.

Grimmjow and Szayel walked to the throne room, once again, where hundreds of Privarons and other arrancars stood waiting, some talking amongst themselves.

"So… you think you can do this without messing up?" Szayel asked jokingly when he noticed the odd look on Grimmjow's face.

"Eh…"

"How many of them do you think you might need?"

As the two Espadas entered the throne room, the room, which was filled with whispers of small talk, fell deathly silent. Until Aizen's calm voice broke the tension.

"Hello Grimmjow. I hope some of Szayel's new inventions will aid you on this retrieval mission. As you look around you, there are hundreds of Arrancars you can choose from to accompany you to Karakura. I suggest you choose carefully and please refrain from taking more than ten with you – lest you want to destroy the entire town," Aizen said with a smile.

Grimmjow bowed in acknowledgement before walking around the crowded room. Szayel trailed along beside him.

"You might want to balance speed, range, and power," Szayel hinted, "This way, some can attack far ranged, while others are attacking close-range, while the rest can distract them with their speed and agility."

"Damn. I didn't know so much thought was behind it. Help me out!" Grimmjow hissed impatiently.

"Calm down Grimmjow!" Szayel answered back, "What the hell do you think I'm doing now?!"

Grimmjow looked around the crowded room once more but didn't really see anyone that caught his attention.

"Grimmjow," Aizen's voice broke in to his thoughts, "The rest of the Espadas have agreed to allow you to use their fraccion for this mission as well if you promise to be extra cautious."

"Yes, Aizen-sama."

"Well?" Aizen raised an eyebrow in fascination as he looked down at the immense crowd of Arrancars as Grimmjow and Szayel looked around.

…

After an agonizingly long time, Grimmjow chose two Privarons and three arrancars – a total of five: two long-rangers, two close-rangers, and a speedy.

As the seven of them gathered, the rest of the crowd slowly emptied out of the room.

"Why don't you guys all get back and get some preparation done? Get some rest before phase one starts in ten hours," Szayel suggested. But the five chosen arrancars only stared at Grimmjow, as if asking if it was okay.

"Yeah what he said," Grimmjow said softly. The five of them began to leave the throne room quietly. "Report to Szayel's lab in seven hours." The five of them bowed before sonidoing away.

_Damn. This is tougher than I thought,_ Grimmjow thought as he let out a big sigh. He stuffed his hands into his pockets before he began to walk out of the room.

"Please do your best, Grimmjow," Aizen said calmly. Grimmjow stopped in his tracks. "You will make sure no harm comes to our dear Cuatro won't you?"

"Yeah."

"Please finish what ever business you might have before this mission," Aizen said. And with that, Grimmjow and Szayel sonidoed back to the lab.

* * *

Ulquiorra finally managed to get out of that warm, stuffy room-of-hell called the kitchen. As he staggered his way outside into the hall, he took a big breath of air before letting out a loud, shaking cough.

"Whoa! Ulquiorra, you okay?" Ichigo asked.

"Yes… I'm just… not one for… sweets." Ulquiorra replied in between coughs and gasps of air.

"So… we're all still on for after school right? Inoue, Sado and Ishida already said they can go. I was just wondering if there were any changes in your plans today."

"To Harajuku?"

"Yup. Right after school," came the reply.

"Yes."

"Great!" Ichigo began to walk back in to the kitchen but paused at the doorway. "Class is about over anyway. All we have left is P.E."

"…"

"Well, this beats going to class any day," Ichigo said with a chuckle. "Don't worry, I'll get your things too. I'll be right back."

* * *

Grimmjow and Szayel returned to the lab to find Nnoitra and Tesla waiting for them.

"Ya know, Tesla would have been a great help to ya."

"Yes, but, in case of casualties, the Privarons and the others are expendable, whereas the Espada's fraccions are probably not," Szayel said with a grin as he adjusted his glasses.

"So… why are you here?" Grimmjow asked cautiously.

"Tesla and I are gonna be backups in case it gets outta hand."

"Same with me Grimmjow." Szayel added, "Just make sure you get Ulquiorra out of there safely. We'll handle those brats if necessary. Getting Ulquiorra out of there is top priority. For his safety. I don't know how long he can withstand Espada-level reiatsu in a neutralized state. You have to quickly make a Garganta and get your ass back here. I know for sure he wont die, but I don't guarantee whether or not Ulquiorra might suffer permanent damage, physically, or not."

Grimmjow clenched his fists tightly._ This just gets harder and harder. Shit!_

"So… remember these gadgets." Szayel tossed the glove and the restraint-collar to Grimmjow, who caught them with ease. "That collar will weaken Ulquiorra so it is your priority to get him back here as soon as you can after you put this collar on him. I don't know for sure if there might be any physical damage or harm. So you have to get him back here as soon as you can. And that's not going to be easy. From what Ulquiorra says, the Shinigami and his friends will try everything to stop you."

"Yeah." Grimmjow stuffed the collar and the glove into his pocket and glanced at the clock: _0:55… Just a little more Ulquiorra. Just a little more and you'll be home; where you belong._

The five arrancars began to arrive by then to find the four in the room and they nervously walked in.

"Szayel, please take over," Grimmjow sighed, "My head hurts."

"Sure…"

"Thanks."

"Alright then…"

* * *

The final bell rang for dismissal of another school day. Ulquiorra, Ichigo, Inoue, Ishida and Sado gathered at the main entrance of the school.

"So… Ulquiorra, ready to go?" Ichigo asked.

Ulquiorra nodded in response before the five of them began walking towards the train station.

* * *

"… So, is everyone clear on what to do?" Szayel asked after his long explanation and received nods from the arrancars in response. "There you go Grimmjow."

Grimmjow, who was staring at the clock counting down this entire time, turned around to face Szayel and silently acknowledged him before turning his attention back to the clock. _Only five minutes left._

"Prepare the Garganta," Szayel ordered his fraccions while he walked to the giant screen. His fingers touched the smaller screen where the blinking green dot moved slowly around the streets and blocks of Karakura. "Grimmjow, Ulquiorra is heading towards the Karakura train station. You need to intercept them before they reach the station or it's back to square one."

Grimmjow stopped looking at the clock to study the map.

_If Karakura Station is there… _Szayel calculated as he looked at the map of the town on the small screen, _And by the pace they're going at… _"You better hurry."

The Garganta stood waiting.

_Five._

_Four._

_Three._

_Two._

_One._

Grimmjow and his team stepped into the Garganta. The plan had begun.

_Good luck, Grimmjow._

* * *

**A/N: Well, I decided to end here so the next chapter is gonna be exclusively on the the retrieval mission. That way, I THINK I can go into more detail and what not... Um... O.O ... Yes I let Grimmjow and Ulquiorra make visual contact with each other (I decided to cut them some slack after all xD)**

**I Shall begin working on Would You Like A Cookie next OR I might start writing the fight scene... **

**Me: Brain, What do YOU wanna do first?**

**Brain: *shrugs***

**Me: Fine we'll talk later. Anyways, Thank all of you out there that took the time to read, review, 'alert'ed to this story. It means a lot for me to know that people out there enjoy the story I wrote -^.^-**

**Much love!**

**Until next time!**


	9. Retrieval

**Author's Note:**

**YES! I'm back lol. Anyways, I guess the fight scene wasnt as EASY to write as I thought. So my poor beta _Dior Crystal_ had to spend a little more time correcting my fail so it would look slightly less suckish (?)**

**Anyways, um... There's not really much to say at the moment since I just woke up except Thank you all for reading this so far and your lovely reviews xD It's been fun writing this so far and I hope it gets more to the funny/crack stuff soon. Serious fanfics and all that seems not as fun to write cause it's fun making Yammy and Gin look like idiots (see previous chapters) heehee.**

**Hope you Enjoy reading! -^.^-**

**By the way, My friend ElementistMagicAkua wrote a little "omake" side story to this fanfic called _SPECIAL TRIP_. It's a GinXToushiro fanfiction and it's in the time span of after Gin sends Ulquiorra to school and before he returns to Las Noches with all his chocolate ingredients. Just highlight below copy and paste it after "fanfiction . net" :D**

/s/5956499/1/Special_Trip#

**Read it! xD (Shameless advertising ftw! :D)**

* * *

It was a breezy afternoon as Ulquiorra, Ichigo, Chad, Uryu, and Orihime walked towards the Karakura Train Station. While Ichigo and his friends chatted away, Ulquiorra walked silently along, looking at the sky expectantly. They had just finished another brain-numbing day of school and Ulquiorra, as indifferent to everything as he is, was relieved to finally be released from the prison-like building. Let's do a bit of a recap, shall we?

After nearly suffocating in the school kitchen, where everyone learned how to make chocolate for Valentine's Day, Ulquiorra was mobbed by his female classmates, only to be saved by Ichigo and Chad. Then, during Physical Education, it was just his luck that it was physical examination day. Meaning he, having almost choked to death in class earlier, was wrestled onto a stretcher and almost got rushed to the emergency room, only to be saved by Orihime's frantic explanations.

The warm glow of the sun touched his skin. It was a warm and comforting change to the artificial sunlight in Las Noches, though it can be a bit blinding at times.

"Oi, Ulquiorra," Ichigo called out casually, "whatcha starin' at?"

"The sun here, it's very warm, it is just still a wonder to me is all."

"Um… you really shouldn't be looking at the sun, Ulquiorra," Ishida said quietly, "You'll end up damaging your eyes."

"Ah, yes. Humans are quite fragile, are they not?"

"At least wear sun-glasses or something," Ichigo added. "Or-"

Their conversation was cut short when they suddenly felt heavy reiatsus press upon them. Ichigo's eyes widened. He looked up only to see the opening of a Garganta and six shadowy figures stepping though.

Ichigo turned his head to find Ulquiorra barely able to move, down on his knees struggling to breathe. _So this is what Espada-level reiatsu feels like; it's suffocating._ Ulquiorra felt as if he was being constricted. He was unable to move and barely able to breathe. But when he felt a certain blue-haired arrancar's reiatsu, he looked up to confirm his speculation; Grimmjow along with five Espada-level arrancars came to view. He tried his best to hide his excitement.

"Kurosaki," Ulquiorra managed to choke out; his body felt as if it was being squeezed by a large invisible snake. "Is this what humans call 'natural disasters'?" he asked, as if he could not see the spectacle before him.

Ichigo and his friends only reacted with surprise. _What?! He can't see them? How is that even possible?_

x.x.x.x

Grimmjow and his team of arrancars arrived in Karakura town just in time to see Ulquiorra on his knees, crushed by an invisible force. His eyes widened for a split second, realizing Ulquiorra was getting crushed by their reiatsu. And just as Ulquiorra had promised, the orange-haired substitute shinigami and his friends were all there. _Dammit Ulquiorra, what have you gotten yourself into?_

x.x.x.x

_Shit_. Ichigo thought with realization._ Ulquiorra... they found him! DAMMIT!_

Ichigo took out his soul candy, popped it into his mouth, separating his soul from his body. "Kon! Get Ulquiorra out of here!" he shouted as he charged at the invaders. Ulquiorra, though unable to move, witnessed the entire scene take place.

As Ichigo charged, Uryu unleashed his Quincy powers, aiming his bow at the arrancars, ready to fire.

Oxoxox

Grimmjow grinned as Ichigo charged at him. "Take care of him," he ordered, "I'm going to get our target." He put his hands into his pockets, one hand rested on the glove, while the other on the choker. He took out the glove, slipping it on, jumped out of the Garganta and sonidoed passed the charging shinigami, and landed right in front of Kon, who was in Ichigo's body, as he led a barely-able-to-function Ulquiorra away.

"Where do you think _you're_ going?" Grimmjow growled menacingly. He grabbed Ichigo's shirt with one hand, while the other on Ulquiorra's wrist and tossed Kon aside like a rag doll. Ichigo's body hit a nearby building mercilessly and he heard the faint sound of bones cracking, snapping, and breaking. The body landed back on the ground and was limp.

Ulquiorra and Grimmjow were the only people left in a two meter radius – plenty of room to have a short, quiet conversation.

"Ulquiorra… I…" Grimmjow began, "Are you… okay?"

Ulquiorra, barely able to breath, only nodded slowly.

Grimmjow showed Ulquiorra the glove. "I'm sorry if it hurts or anything," he whispered.

"Just play… your part… well," Ulquiorra struggled to say.

Grimmjow gave a small nod before pinning Ulquiorra's hands behind his back roughly. Grimmjow looked at the glove…

"_This glove will go through the gigai and push Ulquiorra out. I don't think it'll hurt or anything…"_

_Damn. I hope you're right Szayel._ Grimmjow thought. With his ungloved hand, he held Ulquiorra in place as he pushed Ulquiorra out of the gigai. His ungloved hand pulled at the gigai in the opposite direction as he pushed with his other. For a split second, Ulquiorra's reiatsu filled the atmosphere drawing Ichigo's attention, before Grimmjow clamped the restraint-collar on Ulquiorra, who collapsed from the strain of reiatsu, into Grimmjow's arms.

"I… missed you… Grimm…" Ulquiorra tried to say as Grimmjow's tan muscular arms wrapped themselves around him. Ulquiorra closed his eyes for a moment as he felt the familiar warmth, smelled his familiar scent, and heard the familiar heartbeat of his lover.

"Shh," Grimmjow murmured into Ulquiorra's ear, using as little movement as possible, lest they give away their true intentions. "Save your strength. Try not to move so much."

"Mission… I…"

Grimmjow looked to see Ichigo coming towards him with his zanpaktō drawn and ready to strike. _Damned brat_. With one arm around Ulquiorra's waist to support him, he drew out his Pantera just as Ichigo's zanpaktō was about to slash him. Their weapons clashed and sparks flew. Both wielders had ferocity in their eyes.

"You bastards," Ichigo said as his reiatsu flared, "I won't let you take him away and I won't let you kill him!" He screamed with determination as their weapons clashed again. Grimmjow easily deflected the attack and countered with a kick, sending Ichigo flying.

Grimmjow made a quick glance at the five arrancars that came with him – they were fighting the Quincy and human boy with dark skin. They were holding their ground well, at least for now.

The sound of Ichigo unleashing his bankai redirected Grimmjow's attention back to the substitute shinigami. Grimmjow's eyes grew wide with shock as Ichigo conjured a hollow's mask before attacking him a second time – this time narrowly missing Grimmjow's throat. However, as Grimmjow reflexively blocked with both arms, he had to let go of Ulquiorra, who fell to the ground due to his inability to support himself. Even then, Ulquiorra's eyes never left Grimmjow and Ichigo's fight.

But something felt wrong. Ulquiorra's chest felt as if they were slowly being crushed under an unimaginable force as he struggled to breath, barely able to take shallow gasps of air.

Grimmjow, sensing the slight alarm in the green-eyed Espada, only bared his teeth in a scowl before aiming a cero at the orange-haired shinigami.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o

"This isn't going as well or fast as I anticipated," Szayel said as he looked at the monitors while switching back and forth between the one monitoring their conditions and a timer. "It's already been twenty minutes… How much longer do you think it might last?"

"Tch," the Quinta Espada said with an air of disgust, "That idiot…" He got up. "Tesla, let's go."

"Yes, Nnoitra-sama," his faithful Fraccion replied.

"Hey! Where do you two think you're going?"

"To get Ulquiorra back here before something serious happens, that's what!" Nnoitra said as he opened another Garganta and walked in.

o.o.o.o.o.o

By now, Grimmjow and Ichigo were engaged in an intense one-on-one battle; both of them were covered with cuts, some bleeding profusely while others barely scratches. Ulquiorra struggled to get up but found his body slowly turning numb and unresponsive._ What the hell is wrong with me?_

After a long struggle, Ulquiorra managed to turn around and lie on his back only to see another Garganta opening and saw the Quinta Espada and Tesla arrive. Their reiatsus added to the already unbearable pressure. Ulquiorra could feel himself slipping in and out of consciousness as their reiatsus overwhelmed him. His part of the mission was done; he had seen, and recorded, everything he was ordered to do.

`.`.`.`.`.`.`.`.`.`

One look was all it took for Nnoitra to see that Ulquiorra was in pretty bad shape.

"Tesla, help them take care of those brats. I'll take care of that shinigami. We're here to provide a distraction, not to kill," Nnoitra ordered.

Tesla sonidoed away in the ordered direction while Nnoitra pulled out Santa Teresa and rushed to Grimmjow's aid.

x.x.x.x.x.x

Szayel kept his eyes on the monitors tirelessly as his fraccions worked frantically. He had already decided ahead of time; if they don't open up the Garganta soon, he will have to use the Negación and bring them back. He sighed as he pinched the sides of his nose. _I hope you know what you're doing…_

x.x.x.x.x.x

Ichigo's eyes widened with anger and fear when he noticed another arrancar, who was carrying a _way_ larger-than-normal weapon shaped like half-moons appear to the blue-haired arrancar's aid.

Ichigo rushed to block the newcomer's attack only to hear the new arrival ordering, in a rushed semi-whisper, "Get him back _now_, you idiot." When the outnumbered substitute shinigami realized that he fell for the distraction, he tried to go to Ulquiorra's 'aid', only to be cut off by Nnoitra.

"I'm your opponent now brat," the Quinta Espada said with a sneer, as he swung Santa Teresa at Ichigo.

_Shit!_

As Ichigo and his new opponent fought, he saw, out of the corner of his eyes, the battle between the rest of his friends and the other arrancars. Now, things didn't go as well as expected. Chad, critically injured, was being tended to by Orihime while Uryu tried to keep the arrancars at bay.

Ulquiorra was barely conscious – his eyes began to come in and out of focus. The strain on his body was unbearable. He was still lying down when he saw Grimmjow appear once again, covered in cuts.

Grimmjow scooped up the poor raven-haired Espada before sonidoing off to a safe distance as Nnoitra and Ichigo were engaged in a heated battle. The more distance that they put between themselves and the others, the more the pressure on Ulquiorra's body lessened.

"You feeling alright?" Grimmjow asked in alarm as Ulquiorra continued struggling to remain conscious due to the suffocating reiatsu emitting from the Sexta._ Damn, he can't last any longer… have to get out of here and get that restraint-collar off._

Grimmjow hugged Ulquiorra gently, afraid of putting his green-eyed lover in any more pain and suffering than he already was in. He made sure no one was around before opening a Garganta. As Grimmjow, with Ulquiorra in his arms, was about to step in, he felt the shinigami's reiatsu coming closer, with Nnoitra close behind. In a split second, Grimmjow took out his Pantera and blocked the ferocious attack from Ichigo.

"Get back here, you fucking brat!" Nnoitra was obviously pissed. "We ain't here to play tag!" He swung Santa Teresa at Ichigo's exposed back but Ichigo successfully blocked the attack thanks to the speed he had gained in his Bankai form.

"I TOLD YOU," Ichigo growled, "I WONT LET YOU KILL HIM!"

"Tch, why should you care so much for an enemy, you stupid kid," Grimmjow openly mocked, "You should thank us for killing this traitor; one less enemy for you to worry about during the winter war."

"Fuck you!" Ichigo made a wild swing at Grimmjow, who dodged it with ease.

Nnoitra grinned widely. "You shouldn't leave yourself exposed," he said as he swung Santa Teresa at Ichigo, cutting him deeply across his back, "Especially when you're outnumbered by the enemy, stupid kid." And Ichigo fell to the ground in a pool of his own blood. "Don't worry kid, I didn't cut you deep enough to kill ya… yet."

Grimmjow only looked at the fallen shinigami before noticing that Ulquiorra was not only unconscious but he wasn't breathing_ at all._ Panic filled his sapphire eyes. Worst yet, Ichigo was not ready to give up yet. Ichigo struggled to get up. Nnoitra immediately went into a fighting stance, ready to hold him off.

"Get the fuck out of here you, fucktard," Nnoitra hissed, "Or Ulquiorra might not make it."

Grimmjow looked at Nnoitra, silently thanking him, before stepping in.

Oxoxoxoxoxox

Szayel was sitting in front of the monitors when he felt Grimmjow's reiatsu upon the opening of the Garganta. The pink-haired scientist immediately stood up, sonidoed to Ulquiorra's limp form and yanked the collar off, while Grimmjow, who was carrying Ulquiorra, stood stiff from fear.

"Grimmjow," Szayel said with an air of seriousness and controlled alarm, "Get Ulquiorra back to his room to rest. I'll check up on him in a few minutes. He's breathing abnormally and he's unconscious for the moment. But I'm sure it's nothing permanent."

Grimmjow nodded before leaving.

Szayel, once again alone, save for his fraccions, sat pondering whether to open the Negación. He checked the monitors that were meant for displaying the reiatsus of the arrancars sent into the human world, and found that four of them are missing – meaning that they were dead. All that remained were Nnoitra, Tesla, and a dying last arrancar. Szayel sat watching the screens, anxiously debating with himself. After all, Nnoitra and Tesla were more than enough to deal with a bunch of brats. But it would seem that the arrancars Grimmjow left with were either dead or dying.

_Those five are expendable,_ Szayel thought with a sneer.

.:o

Grimmjow dashed to Ulquiorra's room, carrying Ulquiorra in his arms, glad that the hall was empty. Without the collar on, Ulquiorra managed to start breathing normally but why won't he wake up?! Well, might as well get Ulquiorra as comfortable as possible and let him rest and recover. When the two arrived in front of the door marked with a gothic number four on the door, Grimmjow gently put his unconscious lover in a semi-standing position before proceeding to open the door to his room, and carrying his unconscious form inside.

Once inside, Grimmjow put Ulquiorra down on his bed, and undressed the unconscious Cuarta Espada, leaving him only in his boxers. Then, Grimmjow gently covered Ulquiorra with a blanket to keep him warm. He glanced around the room for a chair, saw one, took it, placed it beside the bed and sat down. And waited for his sleeping beauty to wake up.

During this entire ordeal the Sexta's eyes never left the sleeping Ulquiorra's chest, as if wanting to assure himself that Ulquiorra was, indeed, still breathing. And he sat… waiting…

..o

Szayel sat in his lab, waiting for Nnoitra and Tesla to return.

A second Garganta opened and Nnoitra and Tesla stepped out.

"Man, that was one hell of a good workout," Nnoitra exclaimed, stretching his arms with a yawn. Nnoitra and Tesla, aside from some scratches here and there, were perfectly unharmed.

"Hm… now that everyone's here, we can all go and check on how Ulquiorra's doing," Szayel said as he got up from where he sat and walked out of his lab to Ulquiorra's room with Nnoitra and Tesla following closely behind._ I hope everything's okay…_ Szayel bit his bottom lip in anxiety. He was not sure what to expect.

x.x.x.x.x.x

Ulquiorra was sound asleep as Grimmjow diligently watched over his lover, when Szayel, Nnoitra, and Tesla quietly opened the door.

"Is he doing okay?" Szayel asked, obviously nervous.

"Yeah," Grimmjow answered in a semi-whisper, "I think so."

Szayel walked over to Ulquiorra's sleeping form. Grimmjow got up and walked out of the way to give Szayel some more room to give Ulquiorra a proper examination, in case something happened.

"Grimmjow, why don't you uncover Ulquiorra's upper half for me," Szayel whispered to him.

"What?!"

"You said that Ulquiorra stopped breathing, right?" Szayel asked as he looked at Grimmjow, his eyes full of worry.

Grimmjow only answered with a nod.

Szayel observed Ulquiorra's sleeping form, and did some basic examinations like checking his pulse.

"Do you know about how long he stopped breathing for?"

"Around five minutes or so."

"I see," Szayel sighed, "Then I don't think anything serious would take place. That should ease your mind."

Grimmjow nodded. "Yeah. Thanks."

"Well, all I can say now is that Ulquiorra's just very tired and needs his rest."

"Then we'll just leave ya two alone then," Nnoitra said quietly, still standing near the door, before exiting with Tesla. "We still have to make our dessert for the contest."

"What contest?" Grimmjow asked, confused.

"The dessert contest!" Nnoitra hissed.

"Well, I don't think I'm gonna give a fuck about some shit-ass contest right now."

"Ah, but you forgot," Szayel said as he adjusted his glasses, "Gin-sama said that Aizen-sama's going to personally punish anyone that decides to 'ditch'… and if Aizen-sama's this serious about it, I don't think it would be wise for you to do so, Grimmjow."

"Well, see ya." With that, Nnoitra and Tesla left the room.

"Well, I should probably get started on that too…" Szayel said slowly before running out of the room, his my-ass-is-going-to-get-fried sense tingling again.

Grimmjow walked to the door and closed it before sitting back down on the chair next to Ulquiorra's bed.

Sure, Ulquiorra was sound asleep but Grimmjow noticed the restlessness in his sleeping form; Ulquiorra was occasionally mumbling in his sleep.

Unable to contain himself, Grimmjow reached out and gently brushed the soft, pale skin of his sleeping lover with the back of his hand. Ulquiorra instinctively leaned in to the warmth of his touch, snuggling against his hand. Grimmjow smiled to himself. _He was always adorable when he slept…_

But Ulquiorra kept mumbling and he began to stir in his sleep; his hands moved around frantically as if searching for something.

"… jow… Grim…" Ulquiorra mumbled, the words beginning to become more clear and understandable as his hands continued to move frantically.

Grimmjow took one of the pale hands and held it between his. "It's all right, I'm right here," Grimmjow said softly. That seemed to have calmed the sleeping Cuarta down.

After Grimmjow realized that Ulquiorra was going to be okay – no breathing problems, no permanent damage and all – he noticed that the poor raven-haired Espada was shivering. Grimmjow covered Ulquiorra snugly with the blanket in an attempt to make him warmer. But when that didn't stop Ulquiorra from trembling from the cold…

Grimmjow sighed. _Geez you're such a handful sometimes_…

Grimmjow got up and took off his jacket and hakama before lifting up the cover on the other half of the queen-sized bed and climbed in. Ulquiorra turned, in his sleep, in the direction where Grimmjow laid, seeking warmth. Grimmjow only obliged by pulling Ulquiorra closer and wrapped his tan, muscular arms around his sleeping form before closing his own sapphire eyes and dozed off.

Ulquiorra's eyes shot open as Grimmjow dozed away. His teal-haired lover was fast asleep with his tan arms wrapped around Ulquiorra. The emerald-eyes had a little devious glint as Ulquiorra smiled slyly and snuggled closer, giving Grimmjow a small kiss at the base of his neck. He then closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Yes I'm stalling a bit aren't I (if you all know what I mean.) heehee I'm just so evil. **

**Anyway, I'm glad that everything's back to normal (fanfiction wise anyway haha) so Next chapter, it's going to be chocolate-filled with lots of crack/humor! (No not the drug silly!) I can't write angsty things... but I'm going to try in my biggest project EVER... um... yeah... More info on that later...I have a basic plot made (OMG I'm actually PLANNING AHEAD! SCREAM! It's the APOCALYPSE!) but... I haven't decided on what and how to write it yet. but it's filled with OCXULQUIGRIM-ness! **

**Thank you brain!**

**Brain: You're welcome ^^**

**Erm... yeah... I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you all so much for reviewing/flaming(jkjk)/faving/alerting/reading this story. It means a lot to me considering this is the longest fanfic I've written so far (until my "project" that is heehee). Okay so a bit on that "project" i'm yapping about; I'm going to try to break the record for the longest Bleach fanfic (word count) on fanfiction. So far, the longest is around 650k words (and it's completed) I'll start sooner or later (most likely later) cause I cant seem to concentrate when I write more than two fanfics at a time x.x **


	10. Preparation

**Author's Note: Hey yall! I'm back xD And before anything... I'd like to apologize for not updating for so long. As well as the shortness of this chapter. Frankly, I'm slipping into writer's block more and more often as well as having some final projects at school xD So... I've been busy x.x**

**OH! And before I forget, a few people asked me about the message I was talking about last time I updated that gave me so much lulz since the few rabid fans out there decide to make such a fuss over how Ulquiorra and Grimmjow's last names are spelled and some even asked me to forward the message to them so to spare you the time of emailing/messaging me and save me the time of replying back, I'm gonna post it right here! :D Word for word! xD**

_From: Anonymous_

_IT's CIFER not SCHIFFER you dumb bitch. HAVENT YOU SEEN Bleach wiki baka? Tite Kubo-sama already made it official in like the FEBRUARY issue of Bleach you fucktard. u either need to work on your fucking spelling or actually get IN TOUCH with updates on all this stuff. I bet you're some fat ugly white chick with no life or friends that sit around writing yaoi porn all day._

_And besides, Cifer goes to explain more to Ulquiorra-sama's released form because it kinda looks like Lucifer (Thus LuCIFER) stupid. USE YOUR FUKCING BRAIN!_

_Ulqui-sema supposed to be the fucking devil! And so STOP MAKING HIM SO goddamn ADORABLE! DAMMIT Thanks for wasting my tiem reading this totally inaccuate piece of shit. Retard._

**Please note: I am in no way offended by this in fact, I laughed so hard, my stomach started hurting. I have yet to reply to this email (No idea how this person got hold of it in the first place) since I dont think it's a reasonable way to use my time.**

**Anyway, thank you Dior Crystal! For always being there to beta my stuff. You're always awesome :3**

**Thank you to all the people that read this, and reviewed. It means so much to me and yes, it does keep my sanity in check. I STILL dont own Bleach -.-"**

**Please enjoy this next chapter!**

* * *

Ulquiorra woke up feeling rejuvenated. He smiled to himself upon remembering what had just happened the day before. Ulquiorra shifted his position so his back was against Grimmjow's bare chest – his tan, muscular arms still wrapped around Ulquiorra's waist, their bodies covered by his blanket. However, as much as Ulquiorra wanted to remain in this position, he still had a report to give to Aizen-sama. He had already delayed it long enough. Reluctantly, Ulquiorra began to slowly lift Grimmjow's arms , breaking his warm embrace. The sudden movement caused Grimmjow to stir in his sleep but not enough to wake him up. Ulquiorra sighed in relief as he slid away from his lover's sleeping form, glad to have not waked him up.

His calculating green eyes scanned his room silently, noticing the small pile of discarded clothes. Ulquiorra sighed quietly to himself before picking up the small pile of clothing and tossed them into a laundry basket near his closet. Feeling a bit sticky, Ulquiorra grabbed a large towel from his closet before walking to the bathroom.

He slowly turned on the faucet, almost flinching as the water hit the white-tiled walls, fearing the sound might wake Grimmjow up. Ulquiorra paused for a few seconds, listening for any signs of Grimmjow waking up, before closing the bathroom door, taking off his boxers and stepping in the steamy shower and closing the white-semi transparent shower-curtains behind him. He felt his muscles relaxing as the warm water touched his pale skin.

Ulquiorra was so preoccupied with his shower that he did not hear the bathroom door opening or the sound of bare feet walking inside.

"Glad to see you awake."

Ulquiorra's attention immediately focused on voice beside him – looks like his try-not-to-wake-him-up plan failed.

"I did not want to wake you up," Ulquiorra merely said, "And I can see that did not work well."

Grimmjow chuckled lightly, "You think I won't notice?"

"…"

"Come on, you know me better than that."

"Alright. I thought perhaps I should report to Aizen-sama and complete my mission before you wake up."

"Then?" Grimmjow questioned from the other side of the shower-curtains.

"Have your wounds healed?" Ulquiorra asked, attempting to change the subject.

"What's wrong?"

"It's… nothing…" Ulquiorra answered hesitantly.

"Look," Grimmjow began, "What happened wasn't your fault."

"…"

"And they healed already so you don't need to worry," Grimmjow said softly, "You worry way too much over little things like these."

Ulquiorra stood in the shower, his arms crossed over his chest, looking down at the ground.

"Well," Grimmjow said casually, "I gotta go do something and – "

Ulquiorra parted the shower-curtains, his head peeking out, "Would you like to join me?"

"Are ya gonna stop brooding?"

Ulquiorra silently nodded, his big green eyes looking at Grimmjow, half-pleading and half-apologetic.

"Alright." Grimmjow walked to where Ulquiorra's head was still poking out of the shower curtain, cupped his chin and gave his pale lover a gentle kiss before undressing and climbing into the shower. As soon as Grimmjow pulled the shower-curtains close again, he felt two pale arms wrap themselves around his neck as Ulquiorra buried his face into Grimmjow's bare chest, crying.

"Ulquiorra, what's wrong?" He wrapped his muscular arms around Ulquiorra's smaller form, pulling their bodies closer.

Ulquiorra only shook his head, wiped away the stray tears, and snuggled himself closer as the sound from the shower faded into the background.

Grimmjow let out a deep sigh before grabbing a bar of strawberry-scented soap. Why Ulquiorra enjoyed girly soaps was a mystery (but hey no one's complaining so it's all good!), and began cleaning Ulquiorra's backside. As his hands roamed Ulquiorra's slender form, Ulquiorra seemed to have calmed down – deciding to just stand there with his hands wrapped around Grimmjow's waist.

"You're upset with my putting myself in danger, aren't you?" Ulquiorra asked quietly, his face still buried in Grimmjow's chest. Grimmjow's hands continued to roam Ulquiorra's body, his hands massaging Ulquiorra's lower-half, eliciting a small sigh from his pale superior.

"Tch," Grimmjow scoffed but his voice softened as he looked at his lover," What matters now is that you're okay." He tightened his embrace against his pale lover's smaller form.

"So you forgive me?"

"… Yeah..."

_x-x-x-x-x-x-x_

When Szayel and Nnoitra arrived in the kitchen, they almost cried. Not only was half of the room a chocolate-coated mess, something was burning…

"Damn. I bet that Yammy had something to do with this." Szayel massaged his temple. He could feel a migraine coming.

"Better get someone to clean this mess up. Tesla, go get the cleaning crew to clean this up, will ya?"

"Yes, Nnoitra-sama." And he disappeared.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Szayel adjusted his glasses as he and Nnoitra walked over to the clean half of the kitchen.

They immediately got started. After all, after they're done with this, Gin's chocolaty reign of terror would be closer to being over.

-.-.-.-.-.-

As they finished their shower, Grimmjow, realizing that he didn't bring a towel with him, decided to wrap the towel around his lower half, after drying the both of them, and carried Ulquiorra bridal style back to his queen-sized bed. Feeling cold, Ulquiorra wrapped the blanket around himself as Grimmjow walked to Ulquiorra's closet.

With Grimmjow's frequent 'visits' to Ulquiorra's and vice versa, they had decided to split their closets in half – meaning both had extra articles of each other's clothes; all neatly folded, hung or put away. All the more convenient for when the two of them get into such situations.

As Grimmjow opened the drawers where Ulquiorra had organized Grimmjow's numerous undies… he picked out a clean set of boxers and put them on, throwing the used towel into the laundry basket.

Ulquiorra watched his teal-haired lover from under the blankets as Grimmjow began to redress himself. Ulquiorra quietly curled himself into a ball and wrapped the blanket around him tighter but his eyes never left Grimmjow's body as he put on his hakama, tied the obi securely around his waist and put on his jacket.

Grimmjow continued to search for Ulquiorra's clothes, bringing out a clean set and walked back to the bed where Ulquiorra sat looking at him.

"What the hell are ya doing?" Grimmjow asked with a raised eyebrow. As he put down Ulquiorra's clothes, "Unless ya wanna get sick, you better change."

Ulquiorra didn't budge.

"Oi… come on. Weren't you in a rush to report to Aizen a minute ago?" Grimmjow slowly unwrapped Ulquiorra from the blanket and Ulquiorra quickly grabbed his boxers and pulled them up, face slightly blushing, looking away. (And they'd been together for how long?)

Grimmjow lifted Ulquiorra up and, after struggling, managed to put on Ulquiorra's hakama for him and tied it securely.

"There." Grimmjow admired his work. "That's better right?"

"…"

Grimmjow stared at the gothic four tattooed to his lover's chest and lifted his index finger and traced it, the touch making Ulquiorra shiver. "Next time you go on one of those kinds of missions, make sure _you_ don't do anything reckless, ya got that?"

"Grimmjow, I'm fine," Ulquiorra claimed, taking Grimmjow's hand in his and kissed the palm gently before putting on the rest of his uniform. "I do believe we have our own business to take care of at the moment; I with Aizen-sama's report-" Ulquiorra gave Grimmjow a quick peck on the lips before opening the door leading to the hallways and stepped out "-And you with a… dessert contest?" Ulquiorra turned and gave Grimmjow a teasing smile before disappearing in a corner, heading to the throne room.

_How did he know about that?_ Grimmjow facepalmed himself. Ulquiorra, aside from being adorable as hell, was one hell of a good actor.

-.-.-.-.-

Meanwhile, Gin and the Privaron Espadas were busy in the throne room. Some were cutting out pink or red hearts while others were decorating the walls with ribbons, and setting up tables – which will be filled with countless varieties of chocolates and desserts. A smaller table, enough to place three seats on one side, was set in the middle of the room for the judging.

Just as the tables were set, the Espadas and their fraccions carried in tray after tray of chocolate treats; from brownies, to hard candy and a seven-layered chocolate cake as the centerpiece into the room. It was the one time the Privarons, who normally would want nothing more than to rejoin the Espada, were content to be Privarons.

Gin, who was busy directing the decorations, felt the familiar reiatsu of the Cuarta Espada approaching. He called Harribel over and handed her the directions and plans he made for this event.

"Watch ta others while I go fer a sec, will ya?" He then flash-stepped out of the room and closed the door of the throne room behind him.

-.-.-.-.-

Ulquiorra walked down the familiar white halls of Las Noches, and arrived at the throne room to find Gin leaning against the door.

"Ah. Ulqui-chan, I've been waitin' fer ya!" Gin said cheerfully upon seeing the Cuarta's approach.

"I am here to give my report to Aizen-sama."

"Oh… well, Aizen-taichou is in da meetin' room."

"Then I shall not waste anymore of your time," Ulquiorra said as he turned around and began walking. "Excuse me."

Oxoxoxoxox

Aizen sat on his usual chair in the currently empty meeting room with a steaming cup of tea in front of him. With all the chaos of the Valentine's Day preparations in the throne room, such peace and solitude was hard to come by. Aizen lifted his tea cup and took a small sip, enjoying the tranquility of his solitude.

"Aizen-sama?" The familiar voice of the Cuarta Espada approached him quietly.

"Welcome back, my dear Cuarta," Aizen said gently as he set his tea down on the table and turned to face Ulquiorra as the raven-haired Arrancar walked to his side.

"My sincerest apologies for intruding," Ulquiorra said with an apologetic bow.

"It's quite alright," Aizen dismissed, "Tell me, was your mission successful?"

"Yes, Aizen-sama."

"Please show me."

Ulquiorra lifted his hand to take out his eye and crushed it in his hand. He waited patiently as Aizen viewed his findings.

.0.0

Grimmjow worked frantically trying to finish his dessert entry. According to Szayel, he had just less than four hours to finish this task before the deadline. By now, most of the ingredients were already near depletion so there was no time to make something too big. But hey, quality over quantity, right?

Grimmjow scratched his head in frustration, _Damn it._

0,0,0,0,0,0

"Yammy…" Gin said as Yammy walked in with his dessert entry, which was a chocolate blob, "What is that…?" Gin asked hesitantly as he pointed a finger at the blob on his tray. He could have sworn the blob moved…

Yammy only grumbled to himself as he set down his blob onto the contest table. Gin quickly stuck a small white flag with a simple hand-written number one into the blob. Gin shook his head and walked away as he noticed Starrk walking in with a small platter.

"Eh… Starrk… aren't those just those chocolate squares we made last time?" Gin noted in confusion.

"But," Starrk said with a yawn, "They're cut into little dogs and wolf shapes so _technically_, it's original."

"Fine," Gin said with a hint of disappointment before sticking a handmade flag with the handwritten number two on Starrk's plate of chocolate squares – er… dogs and wolves….

As the rest of the Espadas arrived carrying their own 'original' chocolate entries, Gin stood in disappointment, and mild confusion, as Harribel brought in a semi-burnt cannoli decorated with little fishes (anchovies maybe?)…

Well, the Espada had originality… but not much for taste.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Grimmjow slowly mumbled to himself as he made the final touches to his cake. Let's do another recap:

~Flashback~

As soon as Grimmjow rushed into the kitchen, he noticed the half-cleaned mess as the cleaning crew worked tirelessly trying to scrub the mess clean. He searched through the ingredients, annoyed with the fact that there was barely enough ingredients left to make a decent-sized cupcake. He quickly mixed the ingredients before pouring the batter into the correctly-sized molding and jammed it into the pre-heated oven. Tapping his fingers on the counter restlessly, the Sexta found the ingredients for making those delicious sugar flowers. Only problem was… there was no more red or white left to make pink; only green or blue. Well, a blue or green sugar rose would be fine, right? He found a box of toothpicks, taking one out while stirring the batch of gum paste (what the sugar roses are actually made of). He absentmindedly grabbed one of the bottle of gel-paste colors and poured it into the gum paste as he stirred.

_Something's off_… Grimmjow thought to himself as he slowed down his stirring only to realize that the gum paste, instead of being blue was a shade of green! That shocked him back to out of his stupor, almost dropping the hard-made mixture to the floor. _Fuck._

However, as the clock ticked away, Grimmjow decided to improvise rather than sulk. He quickly made the heart of the rose, which was in the shape of a cone on the tooth pick and stuck it to a piece of Styrofoam to dry, before rolling the gum paste in to a thin sheet, getting out the petal cutters and making the individual green rose petals and laid them on the indents of the silver spoons, making the petals with their curvature.

"Grimmjow-sama?" Tesla opened the kitchen door slightly as his head poked though. "Nnoitra-sama wanted me to see if you required any help."

"Figure out a way to make the damn flower dry faster, will ya?" Grimmjow said just as the timer for the cake rang. Out of his eagerness, he grabbed an oven mitt and snatched out the cake, heat from the oven was enough to give him a slight first-degree burn. Now that the cake was cooling and the green rose heart was drying, he mixed a smaller batch of gum paste and added in the blue gel-paste. He then made the leaves, cutting them out like he did with the petals using a leaf-cutter.

As the small cake cooled, Grimmjow proceeded to put the rose together one painstaking petal at a time. As soon as the rose portion of the sugar rose was finished, the very annoyed Sexta Espada gave it to Tesla to dry while making a small batch of icing to go with the cupcake-sized cake, only ten centimeters in diameter.

Grimmjow scratched his head in frustration as he waited for the cake to cool. He grabbed the drying green rose and began to attach the blue leaves to the rose, carefully making sure that the rose does not get deformed since it was still not completely dry. He carefully placed the leaves on the bottom of the rose using tylo glue. He was being extra careful.

"There!" Grimmjow exclaimed with relief when he finished and left the rose for Tesla to completely dry and admired his work: a single green rose caressed in blue leaves.

~End Flashback~

Grimmjow looked at the clock in the room. He still had an hour to spare.

The teal-haired arrancar let out a sigh of relief. He let himself relax a little; the first time he was able to do so since he left Ulquiorra's room earlier that day.

* * *

**A/N: Okay! Well, I think I made the beginning a bit more angsty-er than I thought o.O and the sugar rose, it's another real recipe that I happened to come across when I was bored. I go on google and search up random things in hopes that something will amuse me. It's odd but I sometimes do that x3 I think I'll post the recipe for the sugar rose next chapter so It's coming! xD**

**And for all of you that followed me so far on this little story... yes I'm stalling (If you know what I'm talking about) I'm sorry! TT^TT.**

**And I hope that message gave you as big of a laugh as it did for me =) Until next time (which will be soon since it's going to be a copy/paste post of the sugar rose recipe and direction haha xD)**

**oxoxoxoxox! ~LR**


	11. How to make a Sugar Rose

**SUGAR ROSE RECIPE!**

**Author's note: Told you I'd be back really soon xD Anyways all credit for this recipe goes to CakeJournal (dot) com!**

**Good luck making this! xD I tried and it looked more like a tulip than a rose xP**

* * *

**Materials:**

Flower paste/gum paste  
Gel paste colors  
Corn starch  
Styrofoam or cake dummie  
Flower foam pad (Orchard products)  
Dogbone tool or ball tool  
Small spatula  
Tylo glue  
Small brushes  
Toothpicks  
Rolling pin  
Non-stick board  
7 tablespoons  
Rose petal cutters in various sizes  
Rose leaf cutters in various sizes  
Leaf veiner (optional)  
Calyx cutters in various sizes  
A small plastic bag  
White vegetable fat  
Edible petal dust

(**A/N: Please check or google up anything you might not understand!)**

**Procedure:**

You will need to make a cone for each sugar rose you are making. It is a good idea to start making the cones a day or two ahead. Remember that the cones should be a little bit smaller than the size of the petal cutter you will be using. Stick a tooth pick in the bottom af the cone and set aside on the styrofoam/cake dummie to dry completely.

Next step is to roll out your flower paste/gum paste thinly and cut out three rose petals. Use your dogbone tool on the flower foam pad and carefully thin the edge of the rose petals so it get slightly frilly. Put two of the rose petals in a plastic bag to prevent them from drying out. Brush the cone with tylo glue and wrap one rose petal thight around it, so that the pointed end of the rose cone is covered.  
**TIP! Use this as a closed rose bud**

Brush with tylo glue once again and take the two last petals from the plastic bag. Wrap them around the cone so they slightly overlap each other. Arrange the rose petals and make "movements" with your fingers and leave them to dry for about 30 minutes or more before you add more rose petals.  
**TIP! Use this as a open rose bud**

Cut out three more rose petals, just like the ones you made to begin with. Brush the rose petals lightly with tylo glue and arrange the next three rose petals, again overlaping the petals Again make "movements" with your fingers and leave your small sugar rose to dry comepletely.  
**TIP! Use this as a small rose**

**Step 2:**  
If you want a larger sugar rose, do as follows: Roll out your flower paste/gum paste thinly, this time cut out five rose petals with the next size of cutter. Use your dogbone tool on all five petals, as in step 1. Take five tabelspoons and dust them with a little corn starch (this will prevent the rose petals from sticking to the tbsp).

Put the rose petals on the teaspoons and let the petals go over the top of the edge of the spoons (as shown in the picture). Let the rose petals dry in the spoons for around 15-20 minutes. Then brush the lower half of the petals with tylo glue and arrange the petals arround the rose, so that they overlap each other. Set the rose aside to dry completely.

If you want an even _bigger_ sugar rose, cut out seven more rose petals and put them on the tablespoons. Since the rose is getting rather big now you need to carefully turn the rose upside down for the last rose petals. Attach the rose petals with tylo glue like previous. Let the big sugar rose dry completely.  
**TIP! Use a piece of foam to place the rose on, to prevent it from breaking**

* * *

**And voila! You have yourself a sugar rose! (Or in my case, a tulip -,-)**

**But anyway, please go to their website and check this out. There's actual pictures that go with the set of instructions to give a visual idea of what it's suppose to look like.**

www . cakejournal . com /archives/how-to-make-a-sugar-rose

**Just delete all the spaces in between. And I hope you had an easier time with this than I did ^^" Until next time!**

**oxox~LR**


	12. Aftermath

**Hey guys! xD Well, this is the end of my procrastination-filled fanfic heehee... sorry the update's been slow. (have yet to start my other one *mauled for fail*) I'm currently in Europe on an Honor's Band/Choir tour called Sound of America and we're touring Europe. It's been a lot of fun traveling but at the same time very exhausting (four-six hours of sleep per night!) So far, I've been to Germany, Austria, Italy and is currently in Switzerland in the Alps... with pouring rain. And of all the five star hotels so far, the one in Switzerland is the only one with free wifi. or it's like 4 euros per something... (forgot and it varied per hotel)**

**And if any of you out there heard, _Dior Crystal _****the pwning beta for this fanfic is going to be busy starting in August so this is the last thing she'll be betaing for who-knows-how-long (for me anyway). So I just really want to say I LOVE YOU! and thanks for all the editing you done and for being such an awesome friend. and Good luck with whatever you're doing. **

**And thanks to all the readers out there for reading this thus far. It's been great to know that people actually spend their time to read, fave or review and all that stuff. I've also made some great friends with some of you and each and everyone of you is awesome.**

**So without further ado, here's the last chapter. Hope you enjoy xD**

* * *

"Thank you, Ulquiorra," Aizen said quietly as he finished reviewing Ulquiorra's findings, "I'm very impressed," Aizen continued to comment, "You are dismissed, my dear Cuarta."

Ulquiorra, accepting the small praise, silently bowed before turning around and proceeding to leave, his left hand absentmindedly brushing at his now empty eye-socket. It's going to take a few minutes for it to regenerate. He walked calmly towards the large double-doors leading to the hallway when, suddenly, the doors burst open with a loud bang as it hit the walls due to the force it was opened with, startling both Ulquiorra and Aizen for a split millisecond.

"I see ta two o' ya er done wit ta report." Gin grinned playfully before walking inside.

"What is it, Gin?" Aizen looked at his subordinate, a slight flicker of amusement dancing in his calm eyes.

"Well…" Gin began slowly as Ulquiorra walked out, "It seems we have a slight problem with the judges…"

"Hm?" Aizen raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Tousen can't really see so we're one judge short… and I don't know who could be a replacement…"

"Don't panic so much. I'm sure we can find someone to take Tousen's place."

"Hm…" Gin looked thoughtful as he stared in the direction where the door was wide open and Ulquiorra had just left. "I think I just thought of something." His lips twisted into a mischievous grin. "Excuse me Aizen-taichou." Gin ran out of the room in hopes of catching the Cuarta Espada.

O,o.o,o,o.o.o,o.o,O

As Grimmjow carried his modestly-sized cake into the throne room, with Tesla tagging along behind him, the sight he saw astounded him: the Espadas were working frantically as they made all the arrangements, with Harribel at the head as she yelled and screamed at the fraccions, Privarons, and the other Espadas with a panicked expression on her usually calm face. Guess there's a first time for everything.

Harribel turned and spotted the teal-haired Espada and motioned him to put his cake down on the table lined with the to-be-judged sweets. Sun-Sun quickly stuck a small paper flag on the cake with the number 9 before helping a few Privarons with decorations.

_Great… just wonderful…_Grimmjow thought as he rolled his eyes.

"Glad to know ya made it in time," Nnoitra said behind him, snapping Grimmjow out of his thoughts, "Ya barely made it."

Suddenly, the door to the throne room opened abruptly to reveal a very frantic Gin Ichimaru as he scanned the room quickly."Eh? Ulqui-chan isn't in here?" And as quickly as he came in, he left while calling Ulquiorra's name as he walked down the hallway.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Meanwhile, Ulquiorra walked silently, slightly irritated, towards the noise coming from behind the closed doors of the throne room. First two days he gets back and all this noise? Seriously, is some peace and quiet too much to ask? After all, just how hectic can baking a few desserts be? Well, at least his eye grew back…

"There ya are, Ulqui-chan!" Ulquiorra flinched at the familiar sing-song voice calling him as he stopped in his tracks. Behind him, Gin Ichimaru ran to catch up.

"What happened, Gin-sama?" Ulquiorra asked, a bit surprised with Gin's urgency.

"Well, let's jus' say Aizen-taichou and I need ya ta do somethin' fer us."

Upon hearing that Aizen-sama needed his assistance, he immediately complied with a small nod, and before he knew it, Gin grabbed his arm and sped away towards the throne room.

~Meanwhile~

Szayel, Nnoitra, Tesla and Grimmjow stood in a small group beside the tables of party desserts and chatted amongst themselves as everyone else ran to and fro trying to do the final touches on decorations and all that stuff.

But before their conversation, which was about nothing in particular, actually got anywhere, the throne room's previously closed doors, opened slowly as Aizen walked in. Everyone immediately stopped whatever they were doing and paid their respects to their lord; some kneeled while others bowed. Well, all except Yammy, who was busy helping himself to the desserts…

When a sudden blanket of silence fell, Yammy being completely startled, dropped the white china plate as he tried to bow, the sound of shattering porcelain echoing in the silence. Nnoitra and Grimmjow struggled not to laugh. But the eerie silence that resumed was becoming more and more unsettling before Aizen decided to break the tension.

"My dear Arrancars," Aizen began, "It has come to my attention that Gin decided to make this dessert party possible and there will be a dessert contest entry. And since Tousen is busy with the refreshments at the moment, and Gin is currently searching for a third judge… Why don't everyone take a seat and have some dessert while we all wait for Gin's return–"

"I'm back, Aizen-taichou!" Gin announced happily as he poked his head inside.

"I see…" Aizen said slowly, amused with his subordinate's enthusiasm, "So who will be Tousen's replacement for the dessert judging?"

"It's…" Gin said slowly as he began to pull in a not-too-happy Ulquiorra, "Ulqui-chan!"

There were some snickering in the room when they heard what Gin called the Cuarta Espada but that was quickly stopped when Ulquiorra gave them a death-glare.

"Hm… I see…" Aizen acknowledged calmly, "Ulquiorra, why don't you have a seat?" He pointed to the judges' table.

"Yes Aizen-sama." Ulquiorra complied without a second thought as he walked to the table and sat in the middle.

"Now, then," Gin clasped his hands together as he addressed the arrancars, "When we're doing ta judging, I want absolutely no interruptions that give away who made which one. Cause that jus' ruins ta fun."

Some of the Espadas looked at each other, realizing that their lacking ability to cook might just poison their superior and probably Aizen-sama.

"Oh, yes!" Gin chimed in, "Winner of this dessert contest is granted… one wish."

"Great." Grimmjow leaned over to whisper to Nnoitra, "Now I _know_ Gin's high on something."

"Eh?" Gin's ears twitched, "Grimmy, I heard that." Grimmjow's mouth clamped shut. "Well, Aizen-sama and I have agreed to grant whoever wins a favor; be it an extended vacation, a paid trip to a human-world spa… as long as it doesn't involve anything destructive or explosive."

A small groan in the crowd of arrancars. Poor Ulquiorra sat in his seat, more confused than ever and shifted in his seat before Aizen and Gin took their place on either side of him.

As one lower-ranked arrancar placed a silver fork, spoon and knife in front of the three, another placed a medium-sized plate in front of them.

"So… without further ado, let's judge entry number one."

A third lowly-ranked arrancar took the brown blob from the contest table and placed it in the middle of the table. Of course, it didn't look all that edible, let alone appetizing…

Ulquiorra swore that that _thing_ was alive. As another lowly-ranked arrancar scooped out a small portion to all three judges, the blob landed on their plates with a sickening plop. Okay, Ulquiorra swore on his left eye and his position as the Cuarta Espada that that thing just moved. Ulquiorra remembered watching a show similar to this while he was still in the human world. Apparently they were supposed to eat it. So he slowly picked up the silver fork and jabbed the blob a few times. It reminded him of the time Orihime tried to make him soup to prevent him from getting a cold that one time he decided to stand in the rain…

The brown, chocolate goop stuck to his fork before he brought the fork to his slightly parted black-and-white lips and his tongue darted out to lick a small bit of the goop off his fork.

Bad idea.

As soon as the goop made contact with his taste buds, Ulquiorra quickly placed the fork back down the table before covering his face with his hands. But those that are more observant in the room, including Grimmjow, noticed that Ulquiorra's pale face was turning into a light shade of green…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Ulquiorra took a few deep breaths, trying to prevent himself from throwing up and took his hands away from his face when he finally felt the churning in his stomach disappear.

"Are you alright, Ulquiorra?" Aizen asked out of concern. He quickly motioned for their plates to be changed and Ulquiorra's fork to be replaced. On the other side, Gin scribbled away on a piece of paper as he shook his head.

Ulquiorra nodded weakly.

"Ya sure?" Gin looked at Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra took a shaky breath, trying to calm himself down, before replying quietly, "Yes. I'm fine."

"Um… okay…" Gin said hesitantly, "I guess we go on to entry number two…"

~Seven entries and five shades of green later~

Ulquiorra calmly wiped his mouth with a new napkin when he finished sampling another entry. _Just one more_, he thought as he glared at the last entry on the table. Though this last one looked appetizing enough, he had doubts. So far, only two of the nine entries were decent enough not to make him sick, so the odds weren't really on his side. He did a silent prayer as the last entry was placed on the judging table. A modestly-sized chocolate cake with blue leaves and a green rose.

"Hm?" Gin raised an eyebrow, "Ta color's a bit off, doncha think?" He began to scribble something on a piece of paper. Ulquiorra nervously scanned the room where the large crowd of arrancars were watching in earnest. A few of them squirmed where they sat. Yammy – who just wanted to stuff his face moved restlessly as he tried to slowly squirm to the dessert table in an attempt to sneak some food. _Idiot._

Out of the corner of his eye, Ulquiorra noticed how a certain blue-haired Arrancar was squirming around where he sat. _Hm… he's been restless ever since the arrancar placed the last entry on the table.._. He allowed himself to crack a small smile. Knowing who made this was a bit more reassuring, although Ulquiorra wasn't sure just how well Grimmjow can cook.

_Well, at least if it gets me sick, I'll know whom to blame later. _As small pieces of the cake was served to the three judges, Ulquiorra's emerald eyes stared at the small piece placed in front of him, as if willing it not to give him another upset stomach.

"Eh? This ain't half bad." Gin's voice disrupted Ulquiorra's heated staring contest. Ulquiorra shifted his gaze and looked at the silver-haired ex-shinigami, as if asking for reassurance before stabbing his fork into his piece of the cake and putting it into his half-opened mouth. He closed his eyes and chewed slowly.

Ulquiorra opened one of his eyes when he realized… it was actually one of the best things he had ever tasted in his life! As he swallowed, the sweet taste of the cake remained in his mouth. He sat waiting for the nauseating feeling in his stomach but nothing came.

"Well, I think we have a definite winner," Aizen's calm voice announced, "Now that this is over, everyone please feel free to partake in the refreshments and desserts."

Yammy didn't need to be told again as he quickly got up. As Aizen and Gin left the judges table, Ulquiorra sat still staring at the partially eaten cake he was so sure Grimmjow had made.

"Excuse me, Ulquiorra-sama." Great. Another interruption. Ulquiorra looked at the source of the voice, his emerald eyes reflecting annoyance. It scared the arrancar since she shrank back and her voice became quiet; "Would you like me to dispose of this?" She pointed at the cake he was staring at.

"No, I think I'll dispose of this myself." Ulquiorra got up and took the plate with him, and after assuming that no one was looking, slipped out of the throne room. Had he waited a few more seconds, he would have seen Aizen and Gin talking with Grimmjow, congratulating him on a job well done. And had he had eyes on the back of his head, he would have seen the questioning look from his blue-haired lover as he slipped out.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

As Ulquiorra walked down the familiar halls of Las Noches, it was eerily quiet, since everyone was in the throne room. When he arrived at the hall where the Espadas had their rooms, as he expected, it was quiet and empty. He stared at the flower that still rested on the cake. He carefully picked it up with one hand, while he balanced the plate holding the cake with the other and examined it more carefully.

_Is this even edible?_

"You can eat that, you know?" Ulquiorra's body stiffened for a second before his mind registered who spoke.

He turned around to meet Grimmjow eye to eye, only to be pushed roughly against the wall as their lips connected in a mind-blowing kiss. The impact made Ulquiorra drop the plate with an audible crash.

Their kiss deepened as Grimmjow snaked one arm around Ulquiorra's small waist and pulled him closer. Ulquiorra melted into his lover's embrace. It wasn't long before Grimmjow began biting and licking at his lower lip begging for entrance, which Ulquiorra happily gave. As Grimmjow's tongue explored the all-too-familiar cavern, he tasted the chocolatey sweetness that still lingered.

When they parted to catch their breaths, the faint sound of footsteps echoed in the halls. Immediately their heads were turned to the direction of where the sound came from and they froze, not daring to make any more sounds in case whomever was walking around decided to walk towards their direction.

"Fuck," Grimmjow breathed, "I'm so fucking sick and tired of these goddamn interruptions, damn it." Without another second's delay, Grimmjow scooped Ulquiorra up and carried him bridal-style to the door with a gothic number six, gently nudged the door open with his foot – attempting to make as little sound as possible – and walked in.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

As they entered Grimmjow's room, Grimmjow gently placed Ulquiorra on his bed before walking back to his door, poking his head out – making sure whoever that made the footsteps' noise was nowhere in sight – withdrawing, then closing the door. A small click was heard as Grimmjow locked his door.

Ulquiorra decided to lie on his stomach and closed his eyes while taking in Grimmjow's scent that still remained on his bed-sheets. He opened his eyes lazily as he felt and heard the bed groan under added weight. Ulquiorra turned around to face Grimmjow once again.

"So, wh-" Ulquiorra was cut off by another kiss, this time, gentler and more passionate. As their tongues danced, Grimmjow shifted their position and propped himself on top. Grimmjow broke their heated kiss and began to unzip Ulquiorra's uniform jacket while nibbling and sucking on his pale, exposed neck. Ulquiorra shivered with pleasure – his cheeks beginning to turn slightly pink.

"Ah… Grimm…" Ulquiorra's breath was caught in his throat as Grimmjow began swirling his tongue at the edge of his hollow hole. It wasn't long before Grimmjow unzipped Ulquiorra's jacket completely – kissing his stomach – while tugging at the obi sash around his waist.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

The excitement of the party was finally beginning to wear down. Yammy was lying on the floor on his back moaning while clutching his abnormally-sized stomach. That's what you get for stuffing your face nonstop for the past half hour. And a few of the Espadas were getting bored.

"I think I've had enough of… whatever this was supposed to be for one day," Szayel said as he prepared to leave, with Nnoitra walking beside him.

"Same," Nnoitra agreed.

"I'm going back."

"Goin' back where?" Gin asked; half curious, half amused.

"Back to our quarters," Nnoitra answered bluntly.

"Well, I can't let ya do that," Gin said with an airy, casual tone, "Ya see, Grimmjow's request was that the entire Espadas' hall is to be cleared and people free for the rest of the day. Dunno why though, but a promise is a promise."

The two Espadas looked at each other before turning around and walking back to where they were previously. It doesn't take a genius to figure out why Grimmjow did that. Nnoitra just sat back down with a very large lecherous grin on his face.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Back in Grimmjow's room, Ulquiorra was lying on his stomach, butt-naked, on the floor. How he got there from the bed; don't ask.

Grimmjow walked back to where Ulquiorra laid, one hand holding on to a bottle of lube before lowering himself to eye-level with his pale lover.

"You ready?" Grimmjow whispered, his warm breath tickling Ulquiorra's ear and made his body shiver in pleasure at the same time.

"Mmhmm…" Ulquiorra gave his answer with a lazy nod.

With that, Grimmjow squirted a small amount of lube onto his fingers, making sure to coat them evenly before shoving his index finger into Ulquiorra's puckered hole and begin moving that inside and out. Ulquiorra shifted slightly at the intrusion, trying to get used to it; it had been awhile since they had done anything like this. It was not painful or anything, just... uncomfortable. It wasn't long before Grimmjow added a second and third finger – scissoring them in preparation for what's to come. This act made Ulquiorra flinch slightly.

Grimmjow pulled out his fingers and squeezed more lube onto his palms, and coated his entire length. Then, Grimmjow lifted Ulquiorra's hips and positioned himself behind him. Without so much as a warning, he slammed his manhood all the way in.

"AH!" Ulquiorra screamed, half in surprise half in pleasure, as Grimmjow managed to hit his prostate dead on. "G-Grimmjow!"

Instinctively, Ulquiorra clamped his hands over his mouth, trying to muffle his screams. After all, after several complaints from the other Espadas to "keep it down", it was just easier to try to keep down the noise than having a bunch of sleep-deprived Espadas show up for the next meeting complaining to Aizen-sama about how two certain Espadas were unwilling to keep it down at night.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Szayel walked back and forth anxiously while biting his fingers. Three hours of no experimenting was starting to be a bit too much for him, whether he knew it himself or not.

"Szayel, what the fuck are ya doing?" Nnoitra gave him a weird look.

"I-I don't know," Szayel stammered back, while continuing to pace back and forth. Were his eyes starting to twitch?

u.u.u.u.u.u.u.u.u.u.u.u.u.u.u.u

Grimmjow thrusted in and out of Ulquiorra's smaller frame at a steady pace, keeping a firm hold on his lover's hips. Ulquiorra clenched his teeth, trying his best not to emit a sound, even though his body was already trembling with pleasure. Every time Grimmjow thrusted into him, he hit his prostate dead on. And each time that happened, more screams started to bubble in his throat, wanting to get out.

"Nn..."

_Ha... So good..._

Ulquiorra searched all around him for something to bury his face in. His willpower was cracking and his throat was beginning to hurt as he tried to hold back his screams.

"Sorry, Ulquiorra, but there're no pillows around this time," Grimmjow said, as he noticed the frantic way Ulquiorra's arms were moving. "I want to hear your screams tonight-" Grimmjow leaned over to whisper into his ear, his warm breath playing across Ulquiorra's skin, as he continued to pound into him mercilessly. The sound of skin slapping against skin filled the entire room "-So don't hold back."

Before Ulquiorra could completely register what had happened, Grimmjow quickened his pace. So much that every time he moved in and out of him, Ulquiorra was pushed forward slightly. The raven-haired arrancar bit his lips and squeezed his eyes shut, tears beginning to form as he tried to hold back his screams.

"Ah! Grimmjow! I can't take anymore… it's… too… I'm gonna…!"

x.x.x.x.x.x..x.x..x..x.x.x.x.x

Szayel sat in a corner, rocking back and forth in a fetal position. While everyone else chatted away and made new friends amongst the arrancars, Szayel sat in the corner muttering to himself.

"Oh… my beautiful lab…" Szayel muttered to no one in particular. He looked to see that Nnoitra and Tesla were chatting with some arrancars. Nnoitra being the cocky bastard he is, was showing off.

"Now, everyone-" Gin clapped his hands to get everyone's attention "-Since yer all here, and well, the Espada are technically detained here agains' their will, we're all going to have a slumber party!" he announced.

Szayel turned to face the wall, and began banging his head against it. Great, first chocolate, and now this? _Just what kind of hell-bent punishment is this?_

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

Ulquiorra was in bed, facing away from Grimmjow. His throat was raw and he was pissed off. The sound of the shower running only annoyed him. He closed his eyes and pretended to sleep as the sound of the running shower stopped and heard the faint sound of footsteps walking towards the bed. Even when he felt the added weight on the bed, Ulquiorra still ignored Grimmjow.

He resisted the urge to push Grimmjow's arms away as they wrapped around his bare waist and pulled him closer. He resisted the urge to elbow Grimmjow in the stomach as he felt Grimmjow nuzzling and nibbling at his neck.

"Is your throat better?" Grimmjow's warm breath on his pale skin sent shivers down his spine.

Ulquiorra let out an audible sigh before shifting his position to face Grimmjow eye to eye.

"Aw, I'm sorry, Ulquiorra."

"I can never really stay mad at you for too long, can I?" Ulquiorra replied, his voice a little scratchy due to his raw throat, "Something like this will heal quickly. Rest your worries."

Grimmjow, thankful that Ulquiorra was not upset, only held him closer as he slowly drifted to sleep.

"Grimmjow…" Ulquiorra said suddenly.

"Hm?"

"What _did_ you ask Aizen-sama for as a request? I'm curious to know."

A pause.

"Privacy," Grimmjow replied.

"Hm? That's it?" Ulquiorra mused.

"Yeah. 'Cause everything I really want is right here." Grimmjow gave Ulquiorra a small peck on the forehead before drifting into sleep.

Ulquiorra studied the sleeping form beside him. _I see…I couldn't have had it any other way..._

* * *

**Yay for cheesy endings xD Well, that's that... sorry for the skipping around but I just had to make Szayel do that heehee... and yeah... I hope you enjoyed this. I'm gonna enjoy some Swiss cheese... and if anyone wanna guess (cause I dont know) where and how did the holes in swiss cheese come from? O.o**

**And Love you all ^.^ and thanks again for being so patient with me. Until I get WYLAC started, this is it for now!**

**ox~LR**


End file.
